JAN  18  1918 

BX  8080  .S7  S7  1916 
Spaeth,  Harriett  Reynolds 

Krauth. 
Life  of  Adolph  Spaeth,  D.D. 


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JAN  18  1918 

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"  For  the  sake  of 
the  Church  " 


TOLD  IN  HIS  OWN  REMINISCENCES,   HIS    LETTERS  AND 
THE  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIS  FAMILY  AND  FRIENDS 


BWteD  bs  *>te  Wife 


PHILADELPHIA 

<K?n*ral  (Euuttril  Jtobliratum  Ijouh* 


1916 


Copyright,  1916 

BY 

HARRIETT  R.   SPAETH 


®ur  C&ran&rljtUinm 


PREFACE 

This  book  is  purposely  made  uniform  in  page  and 
type,  with  Dr.  Spaeth's  master-work.  There  the  re- 
semblance ends.  The  Biography  of  Dr.  Krauth  was 
written  by  a  theologian,  for  theologians  and  scholars. 
As  Dr.  Spaeth  says,  it  was  written  for  the  future.  It 
describes  a  tremendous  crisis  in  our  Church,  and  will 
be  the  standard  historical  work  from  which  later  genera- 
tions can  learn  what  that  crisis  was. 

Dr.  Krauth's  life  has  been  called  one  of  the  great 
Epics  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  America.  His 
Biography,  by  his  "son-in-law  and  son  in  spirit"  is  not 
only  a  monument  to  the  illustrious  subject  of  it,  but 
also  to  the  writer's  untiring  zeal  in  collecting  material 
and  to  his  cultured  skill  in  putting  it  together. 

At  the  foot  of  that  enduring  monument  this  unpre- 
tentious handful  of  gathered  flowers  is  laid,  by  one  to 
whom  these  two  men  are  inseparably  connected,  and 
unspeakably  dear. 

October  12,  igi6. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  I. 
Childhood  and  Early  Life i 

Esslingen  to  Blaubeurcn.     1889-1857. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Stiftler  and  Vikar 29 

Tuebingen  to  Bittenfeld.     1857-1862. 

CHAPTER   III. 
Die   Wanderjahre 44 

Italy  and  Scotland.     1862-1861 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  New  World 72 

Philadelphia.    1864-1867. 

CHAPTER  V. 

St.  Johannis 102 

Congregation  and  Parsonage.    1867-1898  (1910). 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Professor  and  Preacher 127 

1878-1894.    1894-1910. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Synod  and  Council 147 

1865-1910. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Seminary  in  Kropp 185 

1888-1888  (1908). 
vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  House  Beautiful 206 

(1880)  1884-1910. 

CHAPTER  X. 

In  the  Church  at  Large 228 

1864-1910. 

CHAPTER  XI, 

The  German  American 267 

1864-1910. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

European   Travel 295 

1886-1909. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

America.     Family  and  Social  Life 343 

1864-1910. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Years  of  Completion 372 

1907-1910. 

List  of  Publications 411 

Index 425 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

A.  S.  c.  1894  Frontispiece 

House  in  Kueferstrasse,  Front   4 

House  in  Kueferstrasse,  Inner  Court   8 

Blaubeuren,    Klosterkirche     16 

Blaubeuren,    High   Altar    20 

Tuebingen    Stift    32 

Weilheim,   Tuebingen.     Bittenfeld    40 

Pulpit  and  Font  in  Bittenfeld   48 

A.   S.  c.   1864   72 

Pulpit  in  Old  Zion's    96 

Chancel  in  St.  Johannis   136 

Esslingen,  Altstadt  and   Burg    272 

Stadtkirche   (St.  Dionysius)    in  Esslingen   320 

Pulpit   in    Stadtkirche    328 

Esslingen  with  Frauenkirche,  from  the  Neckarhalde  336 

A.   S.  c.   1906   398 


Eife  of  Aoolply  £pa*tlj,  ML,  OLIL 


CHAPTER  I 

CHILDHOOD    AND    EARLY    LIFE 

Esslingen  to  Blaubeuren 
1839-1857 

In  der  Lebensbeschreibung  hervorragender  Maenner,— 
sei  es  fuer  den,  der  eine  solche  zu  bearbeiten  hat, 
sei  es  fuer  den,  der  sie  liest, — da  sind  auch  die  klein- 
sten  Zuege  aus  der  Kindheitsgeschichte  von  Bedeu- 
tung.  Niemand  moechte  sie  entbehren.  Im  Treiben 
des  Kindes  suchen  und  finden  wir  den  zukuenftigen 
Mann.  Selbst  des  Kindes  Spiel  wird  uns  zum  Vorbild 
und  zur  Prophezeihung  kuenftiger  Lebensarbeit  und 
Groesse. — Saatkoemer,  I.  n.  Epiphanias. 

"The  witchery  of  the  Neckar  finds  in  Esslingen  its 
favorite  seat.  As  the  river  rushes  past,  far  and  wide, 
up  to  the  vine-clad  slopes,  spreads  the  rich  verdure  of 
garden  and  meadow.  Wooded  hills  and  mountains  rise 
in  the  dim  distance.  Village  follows  village  in  the  plains, 
waving  fields  here,  smoking  factory  chimneys  there; 
while  now  and  then,  as  witnesses  of  a  time  long  past, 
the  heights  are  crowned  by  old  castles  of  crumbling 
stone.  It  is  as  if,  in  this  short  distance,  everything  were 
crowded  together  in  one  lovely  picture,  of  what  was  and 
is  the  charm  and  beauty  of  Swabia. 

"Esslingen,  the  old  Imperial  City,  dating  from  the 
ninth,  or  even  from  the  eighth  century,  given  to  Wuert- 
temberg  by  Napoleon  in  1802,*  still  has  portions  of  its 
*  "The  first  Sunday  (1871)  I  was  at  church  in  my  native  town,  the 
old  Imperial  City  of  Esslingen,  which,  about  sixty  years  ago,  Na- 
poleon had  allowed  his  humble  satellite,  Friedrich  of  Wuerttemberg, 
to  pocket,  as  reward  for  services  rendered  during  the  war."  (Erin- 
nerungen:    Aus  Reisen  in  der  Alten  Welt.) 


2  CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— ESSLINGEN 

wall,  its  Burg,  its  weather-beaten  towers,  the  Wolfthor 
decorated  with  the  Hohenstaufen  lion  in  rude,  worn 
sculpture,  its  old  city-hall  (1430)  and  its  wonderful 
Frauenkirche.  That  it  has  also  some  of  the  largest 
manufacturing  plants  of  Germany,  that  its  Normal 
School  ranks  among  the  first  educational  institutions  of 
the  land,  that  the  printing  industry  founded  there  in 
1473  is  stiU  represented  by  firms  of  world-wide  reputa- 
tion, all  this  and  more  that  has  added  to  the  wealth  and 
importance  and  growth  of  the  place,  has  not  quite  de- 
stroyed the  old  world  atmosphere,  and  Esslingen  never 
forgets  that  it  was  once,  and  for  centuries,  an  Imperial 
City."  * 

In  this  old  town,  with  its  poetry  and  romance,  its 
stirring  history,  its  close  connection  with  the  heroic 
Hohenstaufen  line,  its  simple,  pious  folks-tone,  com- 
bined with  high  culture  and  noble  ideals,  the  boy  was 
born,  who  was  destined  to  add  one  more  to  the  list  of 
names  held  in  honor  by  his  townsmen.  On  the  29th 
of  October,  1839,  Philipp  Friedrich  Adolph  Theodor 
Spaeth  first  saw  the  light,  being  the  eldest  child  of  Dr. 
Ernst  Philipp  Heinrich,  and  Rosine  Elisabeth  (Boley) 
Spaeth.  His  father's  first  known  ancestor  had  been  a 
farm  laborer,  whose  son,  as  a  friend  of  the  son  of  a 
local  magnate,  was  educated  by  his  wise  patron  and  be- 
came schoolmaster,  in  Buttenhausen.  His  son,  Philipp 
Spaeth  (born  May  1,  1773,  died  June  26,  1835),  was 
the  grandfather  of  Adolph,  and  rose  to  the  position  of 
Ober-Finanz-Rath  (Minister  of  Finance),  with  the  title, 
for  his  life  only,  of  von  Spaeth.  The  second  wife  of 
the  Finanz-Rath  was  Justine  Jakobine  Agathe  Hettler, 
born  March  13,  1785,  a  very  aristocratic  little  lady, 
of  whom  two  portraits  are  preserved,  one  as  a  child,  with 
her  father,  Expeditions-Rath   Hettler,   the  other  as  a 

*  Th.  Ebner,  condensed.     This  was  the  last  article  added  by  Dr. 
Spaeth  to  his  collection  of  newspaper  cuttings. 


DR.   ERNST   PHILIPP  HEINRICH   SPAETH  3 

young  matron.     Her  first  son,  born  April  10,  1809,  was 
Adolph's  father. 

His  vocation  had  for  a  time  seemed  to  be  the  min- 
istry. He  had  studied  theology  and  begun  to  preach, 
but  turned  then  to  medicine,  becoming  a  skilful  surgeon 
and  highly  honored  and  trusted  general  practitioner  in 
Esslingen.  He  was  debarred  from  positions  which  he 
might  otherwise  have  attained  in  his  profession,  by  his 
open  sympathy  with  the  liberal  movement  in  1848, 
even  narrowly  escaping  imprisonment  for  his  fearless 
speeches  against  the  government.  In  his  youth  he  was 
of  a  jovial  disposition,  loving  the  society  of  young  army 
officers,  fond  of  horses  and  of  dress,  given  to  practical 
jokes,  and  prone  to  wrath  on  slight  provocation,  some 
of  which  qualities  he  passed  on,  in  varying  degree,  to 
his  descendants.  As  his  children  grew  up,  however,  he 
developed  more  and  more  into  the  earnest,  careful  father, 
and  especially  for  his  oldest  son  his  ambition  and  hope 
were  boundless.  Letters  are  still  extant  in  his  beautiful 
writing,  almost  like  fine  engraving,  showing  how  deep 
was  his  interest  in  the  education  and  growth  in  character 
of  this  promising  boy.  Among  his  papers  is  a  prayer  for 
"my  dear  son  Adolph  on  the  way  to  the  Landexamen." 
As  it  had  not  been  God's  will  that  he  himself  should  con- 
tinue in  the  service  of  the  Word  for  which  he  had  been 
intended,  he  entreats  a  faithful,  merciful  Father  to  accept 
his  son  instead,  to  give  him  "courage,  strength  and  de- 
liberation" for  the  coming  examination,  and  to  use  him, 
for  his  future  life,  to  His  honor  and  praise,  and  to  the 
glorifying  of  His  Son. 

The  father's  own  growth  in  earnest  Christian  faith 
was  rapid,  during  the  later  years  of  his  life.  Knowing 
himself  to  be  doomed  to  die,  watching  with  instructed 
eyes  the  progress  of  the  disease  whose  minutest  develop- 
ment he  could  prophesy  with  certainty,  he  waited 
patiently  for  the  end,  bearing  his  own  awful  burden, 


4  CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— ESSLINGEN 

strengthening  his  dear  ones,  and  committing  them  to 
the  hand  of  an  almighty  and  all-loving  Father.  He 
lived  to  see  three  of  his  seven  children  confirmed,  to  see 
his  first-born  safely  through  the  rigid  entrance-examina- 
tion for  the  lower  Seminary,  and  beginning  the  long 
course  of  theological  training  required  in  Wuerttemberg. 
Shortly  before  his  death  he  gave  his  last  prescription  to 
an  old  peasant  woman,  who  could  not  be  persuaded  that 
her  beloved  Doctor  had  finished  his  work  on  earth. 

He  died  on  Sunday,  May  4,  1856,  having  just  passed 
his  forty-seventh  birthday,  leaving  a  young  widow  with 
seven  children,  the  eldest  a  little  over  sixteen  years  old. 
The  younger  children  were:  Ernst,  later  Ober-Medi- 
cinalrath  in  Esslingen;  Emma,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Rev.  Philip  Pf  atteicher  of  Easton,  Pa. ;  Marie,  the  second 
wife  of  Professor  Dr.  Karl  von  Liebermeister  of  Tue- 
bingen;  Fanny,  Dr.  Liebermeister's  first  wife;  Julie,  at 
the  head  of  the  Paulinenstift  in  Friedrichshafen  for 
many  years;  and  Ottilie,  teacher  in  the  Girls'  School  in 
Esslingen. 

The  Boley  family  belonged  to  the  middle  class,  and 
were  a  sturdy,  thrifty,  pious  race,  from  whom  Rosine's 
children  inherited  for  the  most  part,  a  vigorous  consti- 
tution, a  fine  moral  poise,  and  a  good  share  of  common 
sense  and  practical  turn.  Her  father,  Friedrich  Boley 
(born  June  6,  1765,  died  January  28,  1841),  was  an 
innkeeper  in  Nellingen,  only  an  hour's  walk  from  Esslin- 
gen. He  was  also  Treasurer  of  the  community.  The 
Bear  Inn  was  the  birthplace  of  his  daughter,  Rosine, 
and  her  home  until  her  marriage.  She  was  the  last  of 
a  large  family,  of  whom  many  children  and  grandchil- 
dren gradually  scattered  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  repre- 
sented by  Jerusalem  and  America,  though  the  name  is 
still  known  and  honored  in  Stuttgart,  Esslingen,  and 
other  parts  of  Wuerttemberg.  Chamisso  preserves  the 
story  of  the  brave  miller,  Boley,  an  uncle  and  godfather 


.yf<ff.i(    t/i     •L/Lffr/(  rjfactd&t      >AJryf/t/tfcf<<     <?/  t  <*•      ''• 


ROSINE  ELISABETH  BOLEY  5 

of  Rosine,  in  his  poem,  "Das  Auge."  A  fire  broke  out 
in  his  stable  which  threatened  to  destroy  the  neighboring 
village.  Thinking  to  save  his  hostler  who  slept  in  the 
building,  Boley  entered  it,  came  out  in  flames,  and, 
jumping  into  the  nearest  water,  became  paralyzed  in  his 
twentieth  year.    Bedfast  for  life, 

"His  eye  is  wonderfully  bright, 
To  the  pure,  to  children,  a  fount  of  delight; 
But  piercing  to  him  on  whom  it  may  rest, 
Who  hides  a  secret  sin  in  his  breast." 

The  poem  tells  how  a  woman,  coming  in  to  sell  a  keg 
of  brandy,  is  first  ordered  off,  and  then  brought  to  con- 
fession by  the  terrible  power  of  Boley's  eye.  In  a  jealous 
rage  she  had  murdered  the  hostler,  and  then  set  fire  to 
the  stable. 

Rosine,  "das  Roesle,"  was  a  fair,  plump,  serene-faced 
damsel,  with  rosy  cheeks,  which  she  kept  almost  to  the 
end  of  her  life,  as  she  also  retained  her  alto  voice  and 
her  love  for  music.  The  story  goes  that  Father  Boley 
did  not  greatly  encourage  the  suit  of  the  Esslingen  Doc- 
tor, and  when  he  drew  rein  at  the  Bear,  as  he  often  did, 
Roesle's  Papa  was  pleased  to  see  him  turn  the  corner 
again  before  the  little  daughter  came  out.  But  the  gar- 
den was  deep,  and  the  wall  was  not  so  high  but  that 
Roesle's  blond  head  could  appear  above  it  when  the 
big  horse  came  near,  and  the  old  story  repeated  itself 
once  more,  always  new,  as  it  still  is. 

The  Doctor  carried  off  his  young  bride,  June  27,  1838, 
with  no  special  opposition  after  all,  and  founded  a  home 
in  the  old  house  in  the  Kueferstrasse,  where  six  of 
his  children  were  born.  A  daguerreotype  taken  about 
1844,  unfortunately  too  faded  for  reproduction,  shows 
the  staid  young  couple  with  three  children,  Adolph  a 
pretty  boy  of  four  or  five  years,  with  a  mass  of  dark 
hair   and   a   sweet   serious   expression.      The   mother's 


6  CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— ESSLINGEN 

character  was  the  molding  influence  in  the  family.  Soon 
after  Mr.  Spaeth's  arrival  in  America  a  competent  judge 
said  of  him:  "he  impresses  one  as  having  had  a  Mother. 
So  many  of  our  young  Germans  seem  to  have  'just 
growed !'  "  What  this  mother  was,  is  thus  described  by 
her  son  in  his  address  at  the  Memorial  Service  held  in 
St.  Johannis  a  few  weeks  after  her  death,  in  1902. 

Our  beloved  Mother's  early  life  was  one  of  great 
simplicity  and  plain  surroundings.  Her  education  and 
culture  as  a  child  were  supplied  by  the  village  school. 
But  God  had  given  her  not  only  a  strong,  healthy  body, 
but  also  a  bright  understanding,  a  clear  judgment,  a 
warm,  deep  heart,  a  joy  in  living,  and  an  untiring  energy 
and  pleasure  in  her  work.  Still  greater  gifts  than  these 
natural  advantages  had  He  bestowed  upon  her,  in  giv- 
ing her  parents  who  were  pious  and  believing  Christians, 
whose  upright,  active  life  was  one  of  faith  and  prayer, 
in  whose  house  the  Word  of  God  was  daily  bread.  And 
God  gave  her  a  faithful  Pastor  who  showed  her  the 
very  heart  of  the  Divine  Word,  in  a  sound,  pure,  clear 
understanding  of  the  Confessions  of  our  Church.  Even 
to  her  old  age,  she  repeatedly  testified  of  her  Pastor 
Hoelder:  "he  first  led  me  to  the  Saviour."  As  I  have 
grown  older,  and  gained  more  and  more  insight  into 
the  churchly  and  theological  struggles  of  the  old  world 
and  the  new,  ever  surer  has  become  my  consciousness 
of  the  wonderful  clearness,  purity  and  soundness  of  her 
whole  religious  intuition  and  knowledge.  Very  often, 
in  visiting  my  Swabian  home,  have  I  been  reminded  of 
the  striking  remark  of  the  late  Professor  Schmidt  of 
Tuebingen,  that  among  the  pious  Christians  of  his  na- 
tive land  so  many,  side  by  side  with  the  faith  of  the 
Church,  have  also  a  little  "faithkin"  (Glaeublein)  of 
their  own.  This  did  not  apply  to  her.  She  held  the  faith 
of  her  Church  well-grounded  on  its  Catechism.     There 


THE  MOTHER'S  CHARACTER  7 

was  nothing  fanatical,  nothing  morbid.  Whether  the 
subject  of  discussion  were  the  mystery  of  the  God-man, 
or  the  nature  of  the  Sacraments,  she  stood  simply  and  im- 
movably on  the  Confessions  of  her  Church. 

But  with  her  this  was  no  dead  knowledge,  no  mere 
orthodoxy,  but  a  real,  living  faith.  Hers  was  a  deep, 
inward  life,  in  and  with  God,  of  constant  intercourse 
through  prayer  with  the  living  Lord.  I  believe  I  am  not 
saying  too  much, — and  especially  here  I  would  weigh 
every  word, — when  I  say  from  my  own  experience,  that 
in  more  than  forty  years  as  pastor,  I  have  never  found 
a  Christian  who  could  show  in  his  life  such  a  wealth  of 
actual,  wonderful  answers  to  prayer,  as  our  departed 
Mother.  Especially  in  that  period  of  her  life  when  she 
stood  with  seven  children  by  the  coffin  of  the  husband 
who  died  so  early,  did  her  Lord  show  Himself  to  her 
as  the  helper  of  the  widow,  the  Father  of  the  orphan. 

"What  experiences  have  we  passed  through !" 

she  wrote,  in  recalling  this  time.  "How  have  we  been 
permitted  to  see  the  glory  of  God !".  ...   In  her  prayers 

her  children  held  the  first  place especially  those 

engaged  in  the  pastoral  work  in  America.  "I  often  help 
with  your  sermon,  from  Friday  on.  Surely  you  must 
feel  it,"  she  wrote  to  me  in  my  first  year  in  America. 
.  .  .  .  Again,  on  the  birthday  of  her  firstborn:  "How 
strangely,  yet  how  beautifully  has  God,  the  faithful 
Shepherd,  led  you!  Even  if  my  mother-heart  often 
misses  you  so  painfully,  still  I  know  in  Whose  service 
you  are,  and  see  the  answer  to  one  of  my  prayers,  for 
when  I  so  often  experienced  the  wonderful  assistance 
of  my  faithful  Guide,  my  heart,  overflowing  with  thank- 
fulness, cried  out:  'Lord,  Thou  doest  so  much  for  us! 
let  us,  me  and  the  children,  do  something  also  for  Thee 
and  Thy  kingdom!'  Now  He  has  used  you  for  this 
work,  and  I  can  thank  Him  from  my  heart;  for  the 


8  CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— ESSLINGEN 

How  and  Where  I  would  not  have  dared  to  suggest."  * 
The  joy  of  her  life  was  her  joy  in  her  children.  She 
wrote  once:  "I  reckon  it  among  the  greatest  pleasures 
in  life  to  be  father  or  mother.  What  would  my  life 
have  been  without  my  children !  They  are  my  stars,  and 
in  their  love  my  heart  is  continually  warmed  and  re- 
freshed anew !" Praise  and  thanksgiving  were 

the  key-note  to  her  spirit.  "I  like  best  to  sing  hymns  of 
thanksgiving,  for  I  know  I  shall  never  finish  with  them, 
but  shall  begin  all  over  again  when  I  reach  the  other 
side,  and  can  join  in  the  singing  there."  ....  "How 
glad  I  am  that  I  learned  so  many  hymns  by  heart  in  my 
youth,  and  that  I  have  them  at  any  moment!"  .... 
She  not  only  knew  the  text  of  these  hymns,  she  could  sing 
them  and  did  sing  them  with  delight.  Among  God's 
gifts  to  her  was  a  beautiful  alto  voice.  She  was  also 
fond  of  music,  and  even  in  advanced  age  could  take  her 
seat  at  the  piano  daily,  playing  and  singing  her  favorite 
chorales.  ...  On  this  account  it  was  a  great  affliction 
for  her  when,  about  ten  years  before  her  death,  the 
vocal  cords  were  partially  paralyzed,  depriving  her  for 
a  time  of  her  ability  to  sing.  "Am  I  patient  and  sub- 
missive under  it?"  she  writes.  "Oh  no!  Yesterday  in 
church,  I  wiped  away  several  tears  during  the  hymn, 
while  all  around  me  were  singing  so  heartily  and  with 
such  enjoyment.     I  was  very  sorry  for  myself,  and  for- 

*A  somewhat  fuller  version  of  this  story  is  given  in  a  letter 
written  to  Dr.  Spaeth  by  one  of  his  sons  who  was  visiting  Mutterle : 
She  told  me  yesterday  something  about  Prelat  Schmid,  who  was 
your  predecessor  at  the  Duke  of  Argyle's.  She  cannot  forgive  him 
for  recommending  you  there.  "It  is  your  fault  that  my  Adolph 
is  in  America,"  she  said,  to  which  he  replied :  "Who  knows  whether 
his  work  would  have  been  so  signally  blessed  anywhere  else?" 
"Yes !"  continued  Grandmother,  "I  often  prayed  that  God  would 
let  my  children  do  something  for  His  honor,  because  He  had 
done  so  much  for  us.  Wie  aber  der  Adolph  nach  Amerika  ist,  do 
hab'  i'  g'sagt:  'Ja'  so  hab'  i's  nit  g'meint.'" 


.^/lff<A  x.jfrrrJJe    *J%a*c6e,    iSkvn&H     ~£c'C(*f 


THE  MOTHER'S  CHARACTER  9 

got  the  words:  'In  quietness  and  confidence  shall  be 
your  strength.'  But  a  fine  sermon  refreshed  me  greatly, 
and  in  my  spirit  thanks  and  praise  are  not  silent.  The 
prospect  of  the  home  above,  where  the  Lord  may  place 
me  in  the  ranks  of  those  who  sing  Hallelujah,  always 

gives  me  fresh  courage." And  as  her  inner  life 

was  so  deeply  grounded,  so  richly  endowed  and  blest, 
gradually,  under  the  guidance  of  God,  a  wider  horizon 
opened  to  her  in  the  world  around  her,  giving  her  a  clear 
view  of  its  richness  and  beauty,  and,  through  inter- 
course with  persons  out  of  many  lands  and  of  different 
social  position,  stimulating  and  broadening  her.  The 
simple,  modest,  widow's  home  extended  in  time  to  a 
"Pension,"  still  modest  indeed,  but  where,  from  east 
and  west,  from  north  and  south,  pupils  and  guests 
gathered.  Russia  and  America,  Scotland  and  Italy, 
France  and  Switzerland  were  represented.  .  .  .  Fresh 
and  natural,  always  unaffected,  as  she  showed  herself 
her  personal  worth  was  quickly  recognized  and  esteemed, 
and  strong  bonds  of  warm,  true  affection  and  respect 
connected  her  far  and  near,  with  high  and  low.  And 
what  a  delight  it  was  to  her  when,  from  time  to  time, 
she  could  leave  the  narrow  limits  of  her  Swabian  home, 
and  could  see  God's  beautiful  world  in  its  grandeur  and 
loveliness,  on  the  Rhine,  in  Switzerland,  and  offer  there 

praise  and  adoration  to  the  majesty  of  the  Creator ! 

She  was  one  to  whom  the  words  of  the  Psalmist  apply: 
"The  righteous  shall  flourish  like  the  palm-tree  .... 
those  that  be  planted  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  shall 
flourish  in  the  courts  of  our  God.     They  shall  still  bring 

forth  fruit  in  old  age to  shew  that  the  Lord 

is  upright."  Such  a  palm-tree  was  she,  a  tree  planted 
by  the  water,  by  the  fountain  of  eternal  youth,  the  Word 
of  God. 

Upon  receiving  this  Memorial  Address  one  of  her 
daughters    wrote:    "You   have    succeeded    in   giving   a 


io         CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— ESSLINGEN 

faithful  picture  of  our  dear  Mother  ....  but  if  I  were 
inclined  to  add  anything  to  it,  I  would  say  that  one 
side  of  her  character  has  not  received  full  recognition, 
that  is  her  joyous,  I  might  almost  say  humorous,  child- 
like way  of  taking  life.  .  .  From  your  picture,  true 
and  beautiful  as  it  is,  one  might  think  that  all  of  her 
thoughts  were  fixed  more  on  eternity  than  on  this  life. 
That  was  not  the  case.  With  all  her  piety  she  stood 
firmly,  with  both  feet  on  this  earth, — in  the  world, 
though  not  of  the  world." 

The  relation  of  this  pious  mother  to  her  son  was  one 
of  peculiar  tenderness.  He  learned  to  read  playing  at 
her  feet.  Once  in  the  pulpit  he  described  to  a  breathless 
audience  how,  having  learned  the  letters  not  by  name 
but  by  the  phonetic  method,  he  was  told  to  choose  and 
lay  side  by  side  E,  M,  I,  L.  "Say  them  together,"  said 
his  mother,  and  the  child  pronounced  the  name  of  a  lit- 
tle playmate,  in  overwhelming  astonishment  and  delight. 
He  had  the  key  now,  to  all  knowledge.  He  knew  what 
letters  meant.  He  often  said  that  all  his  theology  he 
had  learned  from  his  mother.  Throughout  his  life  he 
kept  the  simple  faith  and  trust  of  his  childhood,  instilled 
by  her,  and  strengthened  by  so  many  remarkable  in- 
stances of  the  direct  guidance  of  God.  He  wrote  more 
than  once  in  his  Diary,  when  his  life  came  to  a  turning 
point:  I  am  not  sure  yet.  I  would  like  to  know  what 
is  God's  will  for  me,  and  not  take  things  into  my  own 
hands. 

The  children  grew  up  happily  together  in  the  old  home, 
with  plenty  of  playmates  under  the  same  roof,  some  of 
whom  were  among  his  dearest  friends  in  later  life.  They 
had  the  freedom  of  the  large  garden,  and  there,  in  the 
troublous  times  of  1848,  the  boys  drilled  with  sticks 
and  valorously  struck  off  the  heads  of  inimical  cabbages ! 
In  the  Erinnerungen,  speaking  of  his  visit  to  Kropp, 
and  referring  to  an  excursion  to  Schleswig,  Dr.  Spaeth 


THE  LIBERAL  MOVEMENT   OF  1848  11 

wrote:  "Many  a  recollection  of  my  childhood  awoke  in 
my  heart;  of  the  years  1848  and  1849,*  when  we  val- 
iantly drilled  in  the  back  garden,  and  were  never  tired 
of  singing  with  one  another: 

'Schleswig-Holstein,  meerumschlungen, 
Deutscher   Sitten  hohe  Wacht,' 

and  of  the  hot  tears  we  shed  over  the  sad  outcome  of 
that  struggle  for  liberty.  Now  I  was  permitted  to  see 
Schleswig  as  German  soil,  a  part  of  the  German  Em- 
pire!" To  this  time  probably  belongs  the  story  of  a 
severe  gunpowder  burn  which  the  little  boy  received. 
He  said  nothing  to  father  or  mother  but,  when  the  pain 
became  unendurable,  went  quietly  out  to  the  family  sup- 
ply of  drinking  water  and  held  the  injured  hand  in  this 
comforting  bath! 

In  winter  the  children  coasted  down  the  Neckarhalde 
past  the  vineyards,  faster  and  faster  until  they  flew  over 
the  bare,  grating  road,  under  a  deep  stone  arch,  down  to 
the  beautiful  Frauenkirche.  The  walks  about  Esslingen 
are  very  lovely.  Whether  they  climbed  up  to  the  ancient 
Burg,  learning  history  at  every  step,  or  went  shuddering 
through  the  Wolfthor  where  a  witch  had  been  walled 
up  alive,  or  along  the  well  kept  roads  with  smiling  fields 

♦In  a  Memorial  Address  on  Carl  Schurz,  Oct.  6,  1906,  Dr. 
Spaeth  said:  "When  the  alarm-bells  of  1848  sounded,  he  went  out 
into  the  battle  for  the  freedom  and  unity  of  the  German  Father- 
land, for  the  dreams  and  ideals  which  at  that  time  filled  the 
noblest  hearts  of  Germany.  The  time  was  over  at  last  when 
Lessing  could  say  to  the  Germans:  'Love  of  Fatherland  is  a 
heroic  weakness  which  I  can  perfectly  well  do  without;' — or 
Goethe  exclaim:  'Roman  patriotism!  God  forbid!'  On  the 
contrary,  other  watch-words  were  heard  now,  such  as  Niebuhr 
the  historian  gave  out :  'The  right  of  the  nations  is  older  and 
more  sacred  than  that  of  dynasties!'  Freedom  of  the  press, 
trial  by  jury,  the  arming  of  the  people  and  a  National  Parlia- 
ment,— these   were   the   vehement   demands   of   the   time." 


12         CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— ESSLINGEN 

on  either  side,  to  one  of  the  many  villages  (Mettingen, 
Ober-and  Untertuerkheim,  Nellingen,  Bergheim,  Den- 
kendorf  etc. ) ,  or  only  through  the  narrow,  rough  streets, 
with  houses  dating  back  for  centuries  blinking  at  them 
through  the  half  closed  eyelids  of  the  dormer  windows, 
in  the  two  and  three  storied  roofs, — everywhere  was 
legend  and  poetry,  everywhere  something  to  fascinate 
an  imaginative  and  thoughtful  boy,  and  give  him  that 
deep-rooted  love  of  country  and  home  which  is  pe- 
culiarly the  birthright  of  every  Swabian. 

Little  Adolph  was  greatly  impressed  by  what  was 
probably  his  first  church-going,  on  the  occasion  of  his 
baby  sister's  baptism.  The  old  Dionysius-Kirche  with  its 
twin  towers,  its  solemn  pillars,  its  wonderful  stained  glass 
windows,  its  high  pulpit  and  deep  chancel,  "large  enough 
and  high  enough  to  take  in  many  a  quite  respectable 
American  church  spire  and  all"  (Erinnerungen),  filled 
him  with  awe.  And  when  the  pastor  came  out  in  the 
flowing  alba,  which,  with  all  its  unliturgical  proclivities, 
the  Church  of  Wuerttemberg  always  retained,  the  child 
could  have  but  one  idea.  He  could  scarcely  wait  until 
he  reached  his  mother's  bedside.  "Mother,"  he  whis- 
pered, once  more  in  the  safety  of  home,  "I  have  seen 
God!"  In  spite,  however,  of  this  first  impression,  a 
few  years  later  he  was  turned  out  of  the  same  church 
by  the  scandalized  Sacristan,  who  caught  him  running 
up  and  down  the  too  tempting  pulpit  stairs.  Little  could 
the  good  man  foresee  that  from  that  very  pulpit  many 
years  later,  his  audacious  captive  would  look  down  on 
3,000  worshipers  gathered  to  hear  him  preach! 

On  fine  Sundays  the  regular  afternoon  walk  of  parents 
and  children  led  over  the  Neckar  and  up  through  the 
hills,  to  Nellingen.  At  a  certain  linden  tree  Grandmother 
Boley*  would  be  waiting  for  them  in  her  white  cap, 

*Her  maiden  name  was  Christiane  Mauz.  Born  Nov.  2,  1772, 
died  Dec.  20,  1850. 


EARLY  RECOLLECTIONS  13 

and  the  two  little  grandsons  would  race  for  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  her  first.  Her  picture  shows  a  somewhat  stern 
face,  a  Puritan,  or  even  Quaker-like  simplicity  in  dress. 
There  are  many  stories  of  the  strong  hand  with  which 
she  guided  her  large  and  complex  household,  but  to- 
ward the  children  she  was  always  tender. 

Less  frequently  Adolph  visited  his  other  grandmother 
in  Stuttgart.  She  lived  in  a  large  house,  in  the  finer 
part  of  the  city,  and  of  course  her  great  pet  was  "mein 
Alter,"  as  she  always  called  Adolph.  He  often  recalled 
that  he  had  been  allowed  to  build  bridges  or  walls  with 
the  gold  pieces  from  Grandmother's  desk,  laying  them 
together  like  checkers.  When  Adolph  was  hungry 
Grandmamma  would  say:  "Go  to  Sophie  and  get  a  piece 
of  bread,"  but  the  little  fellow  knew  better  than  that.  "I 
am  not  bread  hungry,"  he  said  once,  "but  cake  hungry!" 
and  then  Sophie's  Bubenbroedle,  always  ready  for  the 
children,  were  brought  out  immediately.  This  grand- 
mother kept  up  a  lively  correspondence  with  her  daughter- 
in-law,  to  whom  she  was  greatly  attached.  It  was  before 
the  rage  for  Kindergarten,  and  Adolph  began  Latin 
when  he  was  five  years  old.*  He  once  reported  to  his 
parents  in  high  glee:  "Now  I  know  that  lieber  Gott 
understands  Latin.    I  asked  Him  to  help  me  to-day  with 

*  In  1885,  at  the  unveiling  of  a  monument  to  Pastor  Volz,  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.,  Dr.  Spaeth  said :  "Apart  from  the  personal  friendship 
which  has  bound  me  to  Pastor  Volz  for  the  last  sixteen  years,  I 
may  well  claim  that  scarcely  another  of  his  friends  and  admirers 
here  came  into  contact  with  him,  at  least  outwardly,  at  such  an 
early  period  as  myself.  Forty-one  or  two  years  ago  our  friend 
was  a  pupil  in  the  Teachers'  Seminary  of  my  native  town,  Esslingen, 
while  I,  as  a  five  year  old  A.  B.  C.  scholar,  was  in  the  elementary 
classes  of  the  Latin  School  there.  Our  school  building  formed 
a  square  with  the  Teachers'  Seminary,  and,  in  the  open  court, 
we  little  ones  saw  the  students  pass  by,  and  watched  their 
prowess  in  gymnastic  exercises.  There,  though  I  have  of 
course  no  personal  remembrance  of  it,  I  must  have  seen  Chris- 
tian   Volz    daily." 


14         CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— ESSLIN GEN 

my  'Argumentle,'  and  I  did  not  make  a  single  mistake !" 
His  mother  writes  to  the  grandmother:  "Adolph  has 
been  promoted  again,  skipping  a  class.  He  is  studying 
with  new  zeal.     Ernst  is  also  one  of  the  best  in  his 

school The  development  and  the  natural  gifts 

of  our  dear  children  move  me  to  thank  God.  How  much 
more  have  we  than  so  many  others!  May  they  learn  to 
use  these  advantages  to  their  temporal  and  spiritual 
good,  and  not  hide  their  talent  in  the  earth."  So  am- 
bitious was  little  Adolph  that,  after  much  consultation 
with  the  big  dictionary,  he  wrote  a  Latin  letter  to  the 
Stuttgart  grandmother,  ending  with  the  customary  greet- 
ing from  his  brother  Ernst,  literally  translated  "Gravi- 
tas  salute!"  The  beloved  grandmother  died  in  1850,  and 
one  of  Adolph's  early  recollections  was  of  the  hurried 
carriage  drive  toward  midnight,  from  Esslingen  to  Stutt- 
gart, to  see  her  once  more  alive. 

About  this  year  the  family  moved  from  the  old 
Kueferstrasse  to  a  more  modern  residence  in  the  Rit- 
terbau  Strasse,  overlooking  at  the  rear  the  Maille,  a 
pretty  promenade  with  shrubbery  and  statues,  running 
on  both  sides  of  the  canal  which,  further  on,  supplies 
various  mills  with  water  power.  Here  a  new  and  won- 
derful influence  came  into  the  lives  of  the  children,  and 
a  friendship  was  formed  lasting  for  over  half  a  century, 
and  only  broken  by  death.  The  Doctor  had  been  asked 
to  take  into  his  house  for  closer  supervision  and  more 
regular  treatment,  a  young  French  Swiss  girl  suffering 
with  acute  hip  disease.  With  the  consent  of  his  wife 
on  whose  care  also  much  would  depend,  the  proposal 
was  accepted,  and  into  the  group  of  ruddy,  active  Ger- 
man children  a  pale,  slight  girl  was  carried,  only  a  few 
years  older  than  the  eldest  boy,  but  unable  even  to  put 
her  foot  to  the  ground.  At  first  the  younger  members 
of  the  family  saw  little  of  her,  and  only  heard  with 
terrified  sympathy,  the  cries  of  agony  when  the  pain 


CECILE  15 

was  most  excruciating.  But  gradually,  under  the  Doc- 
tor's tender  skill  and  Mutterle's  loving  care,  she  grew 
better  and  could  gather  the  children  about  her  rolling- 
chair  to  listen  to  wonderful  stories  told  in  her  pretty, 
broken  German.  The  boys  were  her  knights,  and  vied 
with  each  other  in  carefully  pushing  her  chair,  when 
she  was  able  so  to  accompany  the  family  in  their  shorter 
excursions.  She  played  the  piano  too,  and  fifty  years 
later  Adolph  still  knew  a  few  bars  of  the  old-fashioned 
"Pluie  des  Pedes"  which  she  had  patiently  taught  him 
note  by  note.  He  always  regretted  that  he  had  not  used 
this  opportunity  to  learn  French,  but  Cecile  soon  picked 
up  German  enough  to  understand  the  poems  he  read  her 
and  the  stories  which  were  so  real  to  him,  the  old  Ess- 
lingen  legends  of  headless  horseman  and  intrepid  mai- 
den, the  tales  of  Barbarossa  and  Lichtenstein,  of  the 
Hohenstaufen,  and  of  his  passionately  loved  and  lam- 
ented hero,  Conradin.  In  May,  1853,  Cecile  and  Adolph 
were  confirmed,  and  soon  afterward  she  left  Esslingen. 
They  met  only  a  few  times  in  the  many  years  following, 
but  with  Mutterle  and  most  of  the  children  an  active 
correspondence  was  kept  up,  and  to  the  second  genera- 
tion she  was  "Tante  Cecile,"  loved  and  venerated,  but 
always  as  something  a  little  finer  than  common  clay. 
Toward  the  end  of  her  life  her  lameness  increased  and 
she  became  almost  totally  blind,  but  nothing  could  quite 
quench  the  youthful  spirit,  the  gayety,  the  quaint  ori- 
ginality which  made  up  her  charm,  or  touch  the  deep 
Christian  character  which  helped  her  to  endure  the  many 
trials  and  afflictions  which  fell  to  her  lot.  She  had  a 
genius  for  friendship,  and  when,  within  a  few  months, 
a  second  friend  of  many  years  was  taken  by  death,  she 
had  no  further  courage  for  living.  On  Christmas  Day, 
1 910,  the  weary  eyes  closed  on  earth  to  open  again  in 
the  perfect  vision  of  heaven. 

From  a  very  early  period  Adolph's  vocation  had  been 


i6         CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— ESSLINGEN 

decided,  at  least  in  his  own  mind,  though  as  with  many 
highly  gifted  children  it  seemed  an  even  chance  whether 
his  love  for  military  life,  his  acknowledged  capacity  as 
a  leader,  would  fit  him  for  the  soldier's  career,  or 
whether  his  decided  musical  talent  would  prevail,  and 
lead  him  into  the  less  brilliant  but  also  distinguished 
paths  of  the  composer  and  director.  Once,  when  the  boy 
was  very  busy  building  a  block  fortress,  his  father  an- 
nounced that  he  had  decided  to  apprentice  him  to  a 
merchant.  "One  must  either  be  the  right  kind  of  Pas- 
tor, or  none  at  all."  Adolph  burst  into  tears  exclaiming: 
"Rather  will  I  let  both  feet  be  cut  off  than  be  anything 
else  than  a  Pastor !"  The  father's  decision  may  perhaps 
have  been  influenced  by  the  extreme  shyness  of  his  son 
in  public.  "As  a  boy,  partly  by  nature,  partly  in  conse- 
quence of  the  exceedingly  strict  discipline  of  my  father 
and  my  schoolmaster,  I  was  very  bashful,  reserved  and 
timid.  When,  in  the  upper  class  of  our  Latin  school  in 
Esslingen,  I  was  many  a  time  called  upon  to  read  the 
morning  prayer,  my  voice  often  failed,  simply  from 
excitement  and  lack  of  breath."  (Erinnerungen.)  From 
that  time  forth  his  studies  tended  more  and  more  to  the 
point  at  which  he  aimed,  and  the  terrible  "Landexamen," 
i.  e.,  the  State  examination  for  entrance  into  the  theo- 
logical seminaries  sustained  by  the  government,  began 
to  loom  up. 

But  before  that,  on  the  first  Sunday  in  May,  1853, 
came  confirmation,  for  which  Adolph  had  been  most 
carefully  prepared  by  his  pastor  Herr  Stadtpfarrer 
Schumann,  who  was  also  a  warm  friend  of  the  family. 
The  confirmation  service  was  preceded  by  an  examina- 
tion in  the  seventy-three  questions  and  answers  of  the 
Confirmation  Book.  As  everyone  knew  what  his  ques- 
tion would  be  this  was  less  formidable  than  it  sounds. 
After  the  examination  each  child  received  the  Pastor's 
blessing  and  a  text  for  his  life-motto,  just  as  our  cus- 


<^!)fret('(i£}t€n    ^SLrcJ ft  xAe rc/n 


CONFIRMATION  AND  THE  LANDEXAMEN  17 

torn  is  in  America.  The  poorer  boys  were  generally 
dressed  for  this  occasion  in  coats  which  appeared  again 
at  their  wedding  and  burial.  The  fit  at  fourteen  can 
be  imagined. 

"The  realities  of  confirmation  which  had  seemed  so 
far  away  only  a  little  while  ago,  made  the  months  and 
weeks  and  days  before  the  Landexamen  fly  like  the  wind. 
The  only  thing  that  counted  now  was  to  lay  aside  every 
impediment,  and  fix  the  mind  on  the  approaching  strug- 
gle. And  if  the  boy  were  ever  inclined  to  wander  right 
or  left  from  the  narrow  path  prescribed  for  him,  he 
was  at  once  driven  back  to  it  by  the  warning  of  parents 
and  teachers,  or  the  mockery  of  his  young  companions: 
'So  much  learned  trash  (Wissenschaftswust),  was  only 
necessary  for  candidates  for  the  Landexamen!'  They 
spoke  of  us  as  already  sentenced."  * 

On  the  appointed  day  108  candidates  assembled  in 
the  large  hall  of  the  Stuttgart  Gymnasium,  only  33  of 
whom  could  possibly  be  accepted.  Nervous  fathers  and 
anxious  teachers  came  in  to  hear  and  see  all  that  con- 
cerned their  special  candidate.  The  examination  lasted 
three  days.  On  the  first  day  the  irascible  Esslingen 
Doctor  looked  over  his  Adolph's  papers.  "Pack  up 
your  things  and  come  home  with  me.  You  have  not 
the  slightest  chance!"  was  his  hasty  verdict.  But  Rec- 
tor Braun  of  the  Esslingen  school,  a  friend  and  classmate 
of  Adolph's  father  and  very  proud  of  his  promising 
pupil,  interposed:  "He  will  do  no  such  thing!  You 
just  let  my  boy  alone!"  And  the  Rector  was  right. 
Adolph  passed  as  number  20,  and  entered  Blaubeuren, 
October  12,  1853. 

*Pfister:  "Pfarrers  Albert,"  Stuttgart,  1901,  an  interesting  ac- 
count of  the  four  years  in  Blaubeuren  by  a  classmate  of  A.  S. 
From  this  book  in  general,  and  from  Ms.  notes:  A.  S.  in  Blau- 
beuren, by  Dr.  Eberhard  Schott  of  Augsburg  more  particularly, 
the   details  of   the   Cloister   School  are  taken. 


18         CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— ESSLINGEN 

He  writes  in  September,  1853:  "I  do  not  know  how 
to  begin  a  letter,  for  joy  that  we  have  passed.  Praise 
and  thanks  to  God  for  His  merciful  guidance.  O,  it  is 
just  too  jolly!  I  congratulate  you  too,  from  my  whole, 
whole,  whole  heart,  and  your  parents  also,  in  which  my 
parents  join.  Now  I  will  tell  you  how  things  went  with 
me.  On  Thursday  our  Rector  went  to  Stuttgart,  and  at 
4.30  almost  all  of  the  candidates  met  him  at  the  railroad 
station  full  of  anxiety  to  hear  something.  Herr  Rector 
steps  out  looking  glum  and  says:  'I  bring  a  variety  of 
news!'  but  not  another  word,  on  your  life,  till  we  reach 
the  school.  Then  he  allows  only  those  who  took  the 
Landexamen  to  come  in,  raises  his  voice  and  speaks: 
'Everyone  of  you  has  done  his  duty,  but  not  everyone 
has  been  successful.  The  following  have  good  reason  to 
hope:  Faulhaber,  Hopf,  Herzog,  Yelin,  Gess,  Spaeth, 
Gussman,'  and  all  of  them  are  really  accepted.  Hurrah ! 
Das  ist  zib  erb!"  (superb).  "We  have  had  three  hours 
in  Hebrew  already.  O  Gemini !  but  that's  gibberish ! 
Bereschid  Bara  Elo  him,*  in  the  beginning  God  created. 
So  the  Bible  begins,  and  to-day  we  have  to  learn  to  read 
ten  verses!  It  all  goes  hindpart  foremost!  See  what 
a  regular  Jew  I  am!  ?     I  could  write  every  bit  of  my 

Hebrew  plunder  for  you  but  I'm  too  tired On 

the  12th  of  October  we  enter.  Hurrah!  Victoria!" 
(A.  S.  to  Eberhard  Schott.) 

Blaubeuren  is  one  of  four  cloisters,  now  become  lower 
seminaries,  whose  history  is  peculiar.  "They  are  a  special 
feature  of  Wuerttemberg,  and  date  back  as  far  as  the 
Reformation  era.  In  the  second  half  of  the  16th  cen- 
tury Duke  Christopher  of  Wuerttemberg  was  the  first 
to  see  clearly  the  scope  and  problem  of  the  public  school. 
But  apart  from  the  common  schools,  he  systematized  the 
Latin  schools  of  the  entire  country,  and  about  1560 
created  the  institutions  which  were  to  supply,  for  all 
*The   Hebrew  characters   follow,   copied  with  great  care. 


EPHORUS  SCHMOLLER  19 

future  time,  the  Lutheran  pastors  of  Wuerttemberg. 
At  the  head  of  these  schools  was  the  Stift,  or  higher 

Seminary,  in  Tuebingen The  preparatory  schools 

for  the  Stift  were  the  four  cloister  schools,  Blaubeuren, 
Urach,  Maulbronn,  and,  later,  Schoenthal.  Each  of 
these  four  cloisters  received  in  turn  those  who  had  passed 
the  Landexamen  of  that  year,  and  kept  them  for  four 
years.  The  classes  were  known  as  the  Blaubeuren  Pro- 
motion, Urach  Promotion,  etc.,  the  term  including  all 
who  entered  the  same  seminary  together,  and  forming  a 
life-long  bond."  (Pfarrers  Albert.)  Adolph's  father 
had  belonged  to  the  Urach  Promotion  of  1823  to  183 1. 
In  Adolph's  class,  besides  the  33  who  entered  through 
the  competitive  examination,  there  were  a  dozen  others, 
hospitants,  supported  by  their  parents,  and  taking  the 
full  course  with  the  class,  but  free  to  choose  their  own 
calling. 

The  Ephorus  or  Rector  (literally  Overseer),  Schmol- 
ler,  was  at  the  head  of  the  Blaubeuren  school.  He  held 
to  strict  account  any  of  the  students  who  smoked,  or 
drank  a  glass  of  beer  in  a  tavern.  But  when  one  was 
brought  before  him  accused  of  such  an  offence, .  he 
would  ask  him  of  what  crime  he  was  conscious.  "Some 
were  sufficiently  broken  down  by  the  mere  question, 
to  empty  their  whole  wretched  stock  of  peccadilloes  at 
his  feet.  Others,  with  more  self-possession,  would 
hunt  through  the  hidden  recesses  of  their  heart  for 
something  which  they  were  not  too  terribly  afraid  of 

confessing The  Ephorus  liked  it  when  some 

of  us  came  together  on  a  winter  evening,  and  asked  per- 
mission to  spend  a  few  hours  in  his  family  circle.  He 
used  to  entertain  us  then  with  all  sorts  of  narratives, 
though  not  without  a  little  anxiety  lest  this  should  pro- 
duce that  'haughty  spirit'  which  precedes  a  fall."  (Pfar- 
rers Albert.)     On  these  occasions  the  Rector's  wife  pro- 


20     CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY   LIFE.— BLAUBEUREN 

vided  her  share  of  the  hospitality  in  the  shape  of  a  plate 
of  apples,  always  hugely  appreciated  by  her  guests. 

Besides  the  Ephorus  there  were  two  other  Professors, 
Bohnenberger,  later  Ephorus  in  Blaubeuren,  and  Wied- 
man;  also  two  young  assistant  teachers  called  Repeten- 
ten.  Nor  must  the  Famulus  be  forgotten,  a  compound 
of  steward,  monitor,  detective,  special  messenger,  watch- 
man and  head-waiter.  He  or  his  assistant  kept  a  little 
shop  with  cakes  and  beer  for  the  students,  and  he  held 
the  office  of  the  keys  at  the  main  door  of  the  school. 

In  the  great  court  of  the  cloister  is  a  mighty  linden, 
and  a  fountain  with  a  statue  of  John  the  Baptist  to  whom 
the  original  small  cloister  had  been  dedicated  somewhere 
about  the  year  noo.  The  oldest  of  the  present  cloister 
buildings,  the  church,  the  cross  corridor,  and  the  por- 
tions that  lie  along  the  chief  corridor,  which  is  still 
known  by  the  old  cloister  name  "Dorment,"  are  from 
the  years  1467-1496.  The  glory  of  the  church  is  the 
high  altar  with  its  wonderful  wood-carving  painted  and 
gilded,  which  was  completed  in  1494.  The  relief  on  the 
right  wing  dates  from  1493. 

In  going  to  bed  the  boys  were  obliged  to  pass  along 
an  open  corridor  whose  arches  looked  down  on  the 
church  with  its  blackened  oak  stalls  where  the  Benedic- 
tine monks  used  to  sit  only  a  few  centuries  before.  The 
effect  of  the  moonlight,  slanting  and  shifting  on  these 
empty  seats  was  extremely  weird,  and,  doubtless,  ghostly 
shapes  often  glided  through  the  dreams  that  followed. 

The  surroundings  of  Blaubeuren  are  most  romantic. 
The  cloister  and  village  nestle  close  to  the  Blautopf, 
a  clear  blue  lake  long  considered  unfathomable,  just  at 
the  point  where,  from  its  placid  depths,  the  wide  stream 
of  the  River  Blau  flows  toward  Ulm.  "Like  the  edges 
of  a  colossal  crater,  precipitous,  and  mostly  bare  walls 
of  rock  enclose  the  basin  of  the  Blautopf  with  its  en- 
chanting green  meadows.     The  striking  feature  of  this 


e  SJ  frf(f/(ffy«/i     ^(fr/  A    t  r//f</  n 


THE  CLOISTER  SCHOOL  21 

spot  however,  is  a  solitary  mountain  peak,  the  Ruck, 
which  has  remained  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  basin, 
steep  and  rugged  on  one  side,  but  falling  away  grad- 
ually, in  soft  outlines,  to  the  valley  of  the  Blau."  (Pfar- 
rers  Albert.) 

"The  ordering  of  the  house,  the  'Cloister'  as  it  was 
usually  called,  was  almost  Spartan  in  its  simplicity.  All 
the  rooms  and  corridors,  even  the  lecture-room,  were 
whitewashed  and  quite  bare.    To  each  student  a  room  was 

assigned   for  the   whole   course   of    four  years 

Adolph  received  the  Collegstube  adjoining  the  lecture- 
room,  sharing  it  with  seven  of  his  companions.  This 
room  was  long  and  narrow,  well  lighted  by  four  win- 
dows overlooking  a  quiet,  peaceful  orchard  which,  in 
spring,  was  glorious  with  blossoms,  and  enlivened  by  the 
joyous  song  of  many  birds.  Besides  a  desk  near  a  win- 
dow for  each  of  the  eight  students,  there  was  a  table 
in  common,  where,  between  the  regular  meals,  they  could 
enjoy  a  lunch ;  bread  brought  from  dinner,  or  an  apple- 
tart  purchased  from  the  under-famulus  Lang,  or  even 
a  sausage  sent  from  home  along  with  the  freshly  laun- 
dered linen.  .  .  Each  student  received  a  monthly  al- 
lowance of  six  Florins,  about  $2.50,  called  Weingeld, 
and  taking  the  place  of  a  former  daily  allowance  of  wine. 
Two  Florins  were  paid  at  the  beginning  of  each  month, 
and  the  balance  was  given  to  him  at  the  end  of  the  term 
for  travelling  and  vacation  expenses."  (Dr.  Schott.) 
The  Collegstube  was  in  some  respects  the  central  point 
of  activity  in  the  Promotion.  From  it,  in  1856,  was  is- 
sued the  weekly  manuscript  newspaper,  the  Satura,  which 
three  students  edited  in  turn.  After  three  numbers  ag- 
gregating twenty  pages,  Adolph  writes:  "I  have  really 
a  respect  for  the  intellectual  achievements  of  our  Pro- 
motion. This  week  it  is  again  my  turn  to  edit  Satura, 
and  already,  Tuesday,  sixteen  poems  have  been  sent  in! 
What  a  mass  of  material  I  shall  have  by  Saturday ! 


22     CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— BLAUBEUREN 

You  would  hardly  have  expected  that  in  this  Seminary 
I  should  distinguish  myself  as  a  dramatic  poet !  But  lis- 
ten! I  have  worked  up  Schiller's  'Turandot'  for  our 
stage,  as  a  comic  opera,  of  course  with  many  alterations. 
Day  before  yesterday  the  piece,  in  three  acts,  was  given 
in  the  Collegstube  for  the  first  time.  It  was  very  well 
attended  and  the  applause  was  tremendous,  there  seemed 
no  end  to  the  clapping.  Everyone  was  greatly  surprised 
and  pleased.  There  is  a  universal  demand  for  a  speedy 
repetition  of  the  Opera.  Sometime  I  will  send  you  the 
text  to  look  over.  It  is  adapted  to  a  selection  of  melodies, 
and  it  was  more  especially  in  the  choice  and  sequence  of 
these,  that  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  hit  the  taste  of  my 
public."  Adolph  did  not  take  a  leading  role  in  this  per- 
formance, but  was  one  of  four  who  formed  the  chorus 
of  soldiers  and  courtiers! 

The  daily  routine  in  the  cloister  was  much  like  that 
in  any  rather  strict  school  with  a  decided  leaning  to  the 
simple  life.  Tin  basins  and  a  pump  for  the  morning 
toilet;  "Wassersuppe"  every  other  day  for  breakfast, 
made  by  adding  salt  and  a  little  butter  or  fat  to  hot 
water,  which  delectable  mixture  was  eaten  by  dipping 
bread  into  it ;  about  four  times  a  year  a  roast  and  dessert 
for  dinner,  as  a  variation  on  the  usual  plain  meal ;  morn- 
ing and  evening  prayers;  study  periods  and  lessons;  a 
short  walk  and  an  hour  or  two  of  free  time,  made  up  the 
day,  all  regulated  by  the  stroke  of  a  bell.  For  summer 
afternoons  a  bathing-place  had  been  provided  in  the 
Aach,  a  tributary  of  the  Blau,  the  latter  being  far  too 
cold   for  boys,   though   just   right   for   splendid   trout. 

"Sledding  on  the  Uracher  Steige  was  forbidden  after 
the  first  time,  by  the  town  authorities,  the  more  is 
the  pity!  Whereupon  the  Ephorus  also  forbade  it 
on  the  ground  that  we  are  too  old  for  it!"  (A.  S.  to  Eb. 
Schott.) 

In  Blaubeuren  the  students  exchanged  the  somewhat 


ENGLISH  DRAMA  AND  ROMANCE  23 

mechanical  school-work  of  writing  Latin  and  Greek 
verse  for  the  study  of  the  classical  poets.  Instead  of 
the  old  thoughtless  acceptance  of  facts  came  the  love 
of  investigation,  the  desire  to  form  their  own  opinions. 
"The  teachers  were  not  exactly  sympathetic  with  these 
far-reaching  aspirations.  They  guided  us  faithfully  ac- 
cording to  their  light,  helped  us  out  of  difficulties,  and 
cultivated  our  power  of  concentration.  .  .  .  Com- 
pared with  the  study  of  the  ancient  languages  other 

branches    made    a    very    modest    showing." In 

the  latter  part  of  the  course  one  of  the  "Repetenten" 
Julius  Weissaecker,  later  distinguished  as  Professor  in 
various  Universities,  as  well  as  for  his  researches  in 
mediaeval  history,  introduced  his  classes  to  Shaks- 
pere,  of  course  in  translation.  He  was  a  fine  reader, 
and  his  extracts  from  the  great  English  dramatist  in- 
spired the  wish  for  more.  "English  grammars  and  En- 
glish books  were  smuggled  (  !)  into  the  school  and  not 
only  Shakspere,  but  also  the  romances  of  Walter 
Scott,  Bulwer  and  others  were  eagerly  read."  (Pfarrers 
Albert.)  Dr.  Straub  of  Stuttgart,  also  a  classmate  of 
A.  S.,  says:  "As  the  teachers  in  the  Seminary  at  that 
time,  with  few  exceptions,  were  not  in  a  position  to  sat- 
isfy our  hunger  for  culture,  we  found  ourselves  thrown 
on  our  own  resources  for  the  needed  supplies.  For  we 
were  a  very  restless,  many-sided,  high  spirited  set,  with 
our  individuality  already  sharply  stamped." 

Dr.  Schott  writes:  "History  was  Adolph's  favorite 
study,  supplemented  largely  by  private  reading,  for  the 
regular  instruction  in  this  department  was  inexcusably 
wearisome  and  stiff.  His  warmly  sensitive  heart  burned 
with  love  to  his  German  people  and  fatherland,  and  with 
enthusiasm  for  liberty.  The  War  of  Independence  in  the 
American  colonies,  the  French  Revolution  (Danton  was 
his  particular  hero  there),  the  German  War  of  Libera- 
tion, with  such  men  as  Bluecher,  York,   Scharnhorst, 


24     CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— BLAUBEUREN 

Koerner,  Gneisenau,  occupied  his  thoughts  and  aroused 
his  liveliest  interest.  He  was  enthusiastic  too  over  the 
power  and  greatness  of  the  German  Empire  under  the 
mighty  Emperors  of  the  Middle  Ages.  Friedrich  Bar- 
barossa  was  his  favorite.  .  .  Deep  was  his  pain  over 
the  (at  that  time)  impotence,  discord  and  dismemberment 
of  the  German  people.  With  a  presentiment  of  a  far- 
off  future  he  looked  forward  passionately  to  the  restora- 
tion of  the  realm,  the  glorious  return  of  the  imperial 
power,  the  awakening  of  Barbarossa  from  his  sleep  in 
Kyffhaeuser."  Adolph  showed  an  unusual  gift  for  the 
arrangement  or  disposition  of  his  material  in  writing 
German  themes,  as  well  as  a  great  facility  in  expressing 
his  ideas.  He  naturally  took  a  warm  interest  in  German 
literature.  Schiller  was  his  favorite  poet.  The  students 
were  permitted  to  read  Schiller.  Goethe  was  forbidden. 
In  going  home  at  Easter  in  1854,  Adolph,  with  a  party  of 
classmates,  stopped  in  Merklingen,  and  gave,  in  the  vil- 
lage inn,  Schiller's  first  drama,  the  "Robbers,"  which  they 
had  practiced  faithfully  during  their  free  time  at  school; 
thereby  very  nearly  missing  their  train!  .  .  From  a 
letter  written  near  the  end  of  1853  we  learn  that  the 
"Robbers"  had  originally  been  in  rehearsal  for  produc- 
tion in  the  Seminary.  A  quantity  of  deadly  weapons, 
swords,  daggers,  pistols  and  guns  had  been  ordered  from 
the  cabinet-maker,  and  a  collection  amounting  to  fully 
3  Florins  ($1.25)  had  been  taken  up  for  expenses.  A 
lovely  ball-dress  with  a  blue  "jacket"  was  obtained  by  one 
of  the  students  from  home,  and  an  embroidered  petti- 
coat was  borrowed  from  a  Professor's  wife.  Then  came 
the  crisis.  The  boys  were  provoked  by  the  officious 
censorship  of  certain  Repetenten,  and  after  a  stormy 
scene  the  play  was  abandoned.  So  great  was  the  excite- 
ment that  several  of  the  more  outspoken  students  nar- 
rowly escaped  expulsion After  this  experience 

Adolph  drew  into  his  shell  for  some  time  especially  as 


MUSICAL  AMBITION  -    25 

he  did  not  care  to  unite  with  either  faction,  the  Pietists 
or  the  Worldlings,  into  which  the  majority  of  the  Pro- 
motion rather  ostentatiously  divided. 

"In  our  lower  Seminary,  Blaubeuren,  in  the  class 
1 853-1857,  was  a  good  deal  of  musical  talent  although 
very  crude  and  undeveloped.  Also,  unfortunately,  we 
had  no  competent  leader  but  were  left  entirely  to  our- 
selves. We  would  have  liked  to  form  a  regular  orchestra 
as  provided  for  in  every  lower  Seminary  in  Wuerttem- 
berg,  where  all  the  instruments  needed  for  orchestral 

music  are  at  hand,  belonging  to  the  institution 

In  our  burning  zeal  to  do  something  in  the  musical  line 
we  ordered  quantities  of  orchestral  music,  thinking  that 
we  would  some  day  bring  it  out.  Many  a  time  I  sat  half 
the  night  copying  notes,  and  wrote  hundreds  of  pages 
of  orchestra  scores.  But  what  we  had  was  mostly  out 
of  our  reach,  and  badly  chosen,  too.  Only  when  we 
came  to  the  string  quartettes  of  Joseph  Haydn  our  eyes 
were  opened  and  a  new  world  of  a  better  musical  taste 
was  spread  before  us.  I  wrote  the  four  parts  on  one 
score  and  directed  the  Quartette,  as  I  did  not  play  the 
violin  well  enough  to  take  an  instrument."  (Erinn.) 
Dr.  Schott  says  on  this  subject:  "At  nine  o'clock 
according  to  rule,  we  went  to  bed,  and  about  half- 
past  ten  he  would  slip  quietly,  in  stocking  feet, 
back  to  the  study,  and  write  eagerly  until  twelve  or  one 
o'clock,  perhaps  even  longer.  This  is  the  only  example 
on  record  of  any  transgression  by  Adolph  of  the  house 
order  or  the  law  of  the  institution.  Of  course  it  could 
not  go  long  undetected.  The  offender  was  discovered, 
and  this  injurious  night  work  was  strictly  forbidden. 
But  no  punishment  was  deemed  necessary  as  such  de- 
votion to  the  service  of  a  noble  art  rather  deserved  recog- 
nition  At  this  time  his  achievements  in  music 

were  not  at  all  remarkable.  His  ear  was  good  but  his 
voice  was  not  always  clear he  showed  however 


26       CHILDHOOD  AND  EARLY  LIFE.— BLAUBEUREN 

an  unusual  talent  for  organizing,  and  a  fine  self-sacri- 
ficing enthusiasm  for  an  elevated  and  ideal  art." 

The  religious  instruction  in  the  cloister  was  unattrac- 
tive and  tiresome.  The  students  were  taught  in  a  one- 
sided way  to  know  only  the  strictly  orthodox  tendency, 
and  so,  later,  they  were  almost  defenceless  against  the 
attacks  of  its  enemies.  For  this  reason  not  a  few  of 
the  seminarians  suffered  partial  or  total  shipwreck  of 
their  faith,  after  coming  to  Tuebingen.  "Adolph  had 
a  decidedly  religious  disposition,  due  to  his  mother's 
training  and  influence.  ...  In  the  stillness  and  concen- 
tration of  the  somewhat  monotonous  Seminary  life,  far 
from  home,  his  faith  gained  strength  more  and  more, 
especially  under  the  influence  of  his  devout  friend,  Otto 
Pfleiderer.  ...  At  the  same  time  he  was  far  from 
making  any  parade  of  his  religion,  nor  did  he  suffer 
from  a  narrow-minded  pietism.  His  whole  disposition 
was  joyous,  inclined  to  youthful  vivacity  and  gayety, 
....  over  which  the  first  shadow  was  thrown  by  the 
death  of  his  father  during  his  third  year  in  Blaubeu- 
ren."  The  effect  of  this  sorrow  was  to  make  him  still 
more  earnest  and  conscientious  in  his  work. 

Adolph's  physical  condition  at  that  time,  though  his 
father  had  written  in  some  concern  about  it,  was,  as  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Schott,  much  more  robust  than  it  was  a 
few  years  later.  The  romantic  surroundings  of  Blau- 
beuren  tempted  the  students  to  long  expeditions  of  dis- 
covery, not  always  without  danger,  owing  to  the  pre- 
cipitous rocks  and  the  many  caves  and  clefts  among 
them;  simple  diet  and  much  exercise  in  the  open  air, 
made  them  healthy  and  strong.  "Adolph  was  one  of  the 
strongest,  tall  and  well-built,  with  an  attractive  face, 
which  later,  in  Tuebingen,  won  him  the  name  'the  hand- 
some Spaeth.'  "  A  bowling  alley  on  the  gymnastic  field 
was  well  patronized,  and  as  Adolph  brought  all  his  at- 
tention and  energy  to  bear  on  his  amusements  as  well 


LEAVING  THE  CLOISTER   SCHOOL  27 

as  his  work,  he  soon  became  one  of  the  most  expert 
players. 

During  the  last  year  in  Blaubeuren  the  question  of 
Adolph's  future  seems  to  have  become  unsettled  again. 
In  February  he  writes  to  his  sister-friend  Cecile:  "I  am 
no  longer  so  well  satisfied  in  Blaubeuren  as  formerly. 
You  know  we  are  rather  too  old  for  the  restrictions 
that  are  laid  upon  us  in  the  cloister.  We  are  kept  in 
very  narrow  bounds,  and  the  slightest  offence  is  severely 
punished.  So  I  am  very  glad  that,  if  God  will,  I  am  to 
leave  soon.  In  August  of  this  year  I  must  take  another 
difficult  examination  in  Stuttgart,  and  if  I  pass  I  shall 
enter  the  University  in  Tuebingen.  Being  a  girl  you 
cannot  understand  how  a  boy  of  my  age  rejoices  in  the 
thought  of  the  University!  But  you  can  rejoice  with 
me; — and  then  you  will  have  a  brother  who  is  a  Stu- 
dent!" But  years  later,  on  the  40th  Anniversary  of  his 
ordination  he  says:  "In  many  respects  the  grace  of  God 
directly  prepared  me  for  my  life-work.  He  led  me  to 
study  theology  in  the  University  of  Tuebingen.  I  did 
not  at  all  wish  to  go  there.  I  would  much  rather  have 
become  an  officer  in  the  army.  If  my  own  wishes  had 
prevailed,  no  doubt  I  should  long  ago  have  been  shot 
dead  by  the  French.  Only  out  of  love  to  my  mother  did 
I  yield  to  her  wish." 

Pfarrers  Albert  describes,  with  mingled  sentiment  and 
humor,  the  closing  scenes  in  the  cloister.  At  that  time 
the  old  custom  had  not  yet  been  abolished  of  presenting 
to  each  member  of  the  class  a  "Promotion  pipe,"  as  out- 
ward symbol  of  the  dawn  of  freedom  and  self-govern- 
ment. Even  though  most  of  them  were  going  together 
as  theologians  to  the  Stift  in  Tuebingen  it  was  still  the 
end  of  the  close  companionship  of  the  last  four  years. 
Hence  the  souvenir  pipe.  For  Adolph's  promotion  the 
pipe  displayed  a  picture  of  Blaubeuren  drawn  by  Julius 
Euting,  later  Director  of  the  library  in  Strassburg,  a 


28      CHILDHOOD  AND   EARLY   LIFE.— BLAUBEUREN 

distinguished  orientalist,  and  a  great  smoker.  Ambitious 
plans  for  a  triumphal  procession,  with  outriders  going 
ahead  of  the  omnibus  and  carriages,  came  to  nothing. 
The  departure  of  the  Promotion,  pipe  in  hand,  was  has- 
tened by  an  outbreak  of  typhoid  fever.  With  many  a 
backward  glance  they  left  the  familiar  scene,  and  only 
when  the  last  rugged  peak  had  disappeared  did  they  turn 
to  the  way  that  lay  before  them,  the  Future ;  for  some  of 
them  clearly  planned  out,  for  others  still  unsettled  and 
dark,  an  undiscovered  country! 


CHAPTER  II 

STIFTLER   AND   VIKAR 

Tuebingen  to  Bittenfeld 
1857-1862 

Aus    einem    Wuerttembergischen    Stiftler    kann    Alles 
werden! — Old  Proverb. 

Relatively  little  has  been  preserved  concerning 
Adolph's  four  years  in  Tuebingen.  To  a  boy  barely 
eighteen,  entering  on  theological  study  simply  because  it 
was  his  mother's  wish,  doubtless  with  many  a  longing 
thought  of  the  military  career  he  had  renounced,  it  is 
only  natural  that  what  appealed  to  him  in  the  University 
was  the  partial  relief  from  cloister  restrictions,  the  wider, 
gayer  social  circle,  the  Liedertafel,  the  orchestra,  the 
Roigel,  and  the  charming  rides  and  walks  with  which 
the  students  minimized  the  risk  of  over-application  to 
the  pursuit  of  learning, — rather  than  theology  itself. 

The  Stift,  the  central  point  of  the  Tuebingen  Univer- 
sity, rises  proudly  above  the  Neckar,  a  mighty  fortress 
of  Protestantism  from  which,  for  nearly  four  hundred 
years  men  of  valor  and  distinction  have  gone  out,  not 
only  into  Wuerttemberg,  but  also  into  other  European 
countries  and  to  America.  The  whole  spiritual  life  of 
Swabia  has  streamed  for  centuries  from  this  never- 
failing  fountain,  in  which  the  shifting  signs  of  the  times 
have  been  faithfully  mirrored. 

The  original  idea  of  the  Stift  was  conceived  by  Duke 
Ulrich  (died  1550),  the  hero  of  Wilhelm  Hauff's  ro- 
mance, Lichtenstein.  He  founded,  in  the  cloister  from 
29 


30  STIFTLER  AND  VIKAR.— TUEBINGEN 

which  the  Augustinian  monks  had  been  ejected,  a  free 
school  for  training  theologians  at  the  public  cost.  The 
sons  of  poor,  God-fearing  citizens,  after  passing  the 
required  examinations,  were  to  be  taught  here,  free  of 
expense,  as  long  as  they  were  industrious  and  behaved 
themselves  properly.  And  they  were  to  be  well  fed; 
the  authorities  were  not  to  set  before  them  "Scher- 
wasser  *  (?)  in  which  the  barley  corns  chased  each  other 
around."  Anyone  going  out  without  permission  re- 
ceived as  punishment  the  "prandium  caninum,"  i.  e., 
dinner  without  wine.  Latin  was  the  only  language  al- 
lowed.   Many  did  not  like  it ! 

Ulrich's  son,  Duke  Christopher,  may  be  called  really 
the  founder  of  the  Stift  as  it  now  is.  The  principles 
laid  down  by  him  still  govern  the  system  of  schools  in 
Wuerttemberg,  beginning  with  the  broad  foundation  of 
the  German  village  school,  rising  through  all  the  grades 
of  lower  and  higher  Latin  schools  and  Seminaries,  and 
culminating  in  the  University  and  the  Stift. 

In  the  building  itself  the  various  apartments  are 
pretty  much  the  same  as  those  which,  until  1548,  were 
occupied  by  the  venerable  Augustinian  friars ;  the  rooms, 
twenty-three  in  number,  are  still  known  by  the  curious 
designations  which,  for  ages,  have  reflected  the  cosmo- 
politan character  of  this  otherwise  rigidly  Swabian 
institution:  Bethlehem,  Jerusalem  and  Zion;  Hellas, 
Elysium  and  Mecca;  Vendee,  Wartburg  and  Worms; 
Katzbach  and  Leipzig;  Belgrad  and  Neapel;  Ulm, 
Rothenburg  and  Bayerland;  Hohenheim,  Schwaerzloch 
and  Luginsland;  Rathaus  and  Jaegerstube;  Quadrat 
and  Mulattenstube.f  Each  room  is  divided  by  screens 
and  curtains  into  six  or  seven  "caves"  (cava)  or  "dens" 
as  we  would  call  them,  absolutely  inapproachable  to  the 

*  Probably  what  modern  scoffers  would  call  "dish-water." 
t  Said  to  have  been  Adolph's  room. 


THE  JOKELE  31 

outside  world.  Each  room  has  its  elective  officers,  the 
"magister  morum"  who  claims  the  best  window,  and  the 
"Stubensenior"  who  has  a  right  to  the  envied  corner  from 
which  one  looks  out  over  the  Neckar  valley,  and  from 
which,  formerly,  one  could  indulge  in  sportive  conversa- 
tion with  the  "J°kde"  or  raftsmen  as  they  floated 
down  the  river  from  the  Black  Forest.  These  were  a 
rough  set  of  men,  who  wore  heavy  leather  boots, 
"Kanonenstiefel,"  up  to  the  thigh.  The  display  of  a 
pair  of  Kanonenstiefel,  accompanied  by  the  derisive 
greeting:  "J°k:de  spe-a-e-a-e-ar !"  which  rippled  ryth- 
mically  from  window  to  window  of  the  long  rows  that 
overlooked  the  Neckar,  always  called  forth  a  volley  of 
oaths,  utterly  unfit  for  the  ears  of  young  theological 
students.  Complaint  was  made  to  one  of  the  authorities, 
that  the  Stiftler  could  no  longer  endure  this  ungentle- 
manly  conduct  of  the  "J°kele,"  So  the  next  time  a  raft 
approached  he  came  to  the  window  to  remonstrate  gently 
but  firmly  with  the  misguided  men.  Before  he  could 
even  begin  his  irenical  discourse  the  furious  "Jokele" 
broke  out  worse  than  ever,  and  the  good  man  retreated, 
utterly  routed.  The  half  had  not  been  told  him.  He 
had  also  not  been  told  that  during  the  whole  episode  a 
pair  of  the  hated  boots  had  been  gently  waving  from  a 
window  over  his  head. 

With  the  Thirty  Years'  War  the  Stift  fell  on  evil  times, 
the  number  of  students  and  the  income  of  the  institution 
were  greatly  reduced.  The  vineyards  were  unproduc- 
tive, and  for  some  years  beer  was  substituted  for  wine, 
and  a  Stift's  brewery  was  erected.  But  the  return  of 
peace  brought  prosperity  with  it,  to  land  and  Stift.  In 
1659  there  were  170  Seminarians  (150  is  the  usual  num- 
ber), and  once  more  the  full  kegs  rolled  through  the 
Stift's  doors  into  the  abyss  of  the  cloister  wine-cellars. 

Wars  and  rumors  of  war  came  and  went,  always 
filling  the  Stift  with  excitement,  and  taking  toll  among 


32  STIFTLER  AND  VIKAR.— TUEBINGEN 

the  hot-blooded  young  candidates.  The  French  Revolu- 
tion, the  War  of  Liberation,  the  Phil-hellenic  movement, 
the  rising  in  1848-9,  all  had  their  followers.  But  the 
turbulent  waves  subsided  again.  And  even  the  hatred 
of  Prussia  disappeared  in  1870,  when  the  Stift  was 
once  more  depopulated,  and  sent  its  young  men  to  the 
field,  to  meet  the  enemy  and  the  new  era. 

The  peculiar  dress  of  the  Stiftler,  a  reminiscence  of 
the  monastic  habit,  derided  and  hated,  has  long  since 
disappeared,  and  they  are  as  jolly  young  fellows  as  one 
finds  anywhere,  with  their  bright-colored  corps  uni- 
forms, and  possessing  handsome  Society  houses  on  the 
Tuebingen  hills.  Nevertheless  the  changes  have  been, 
for  the  most  part,  merely  in  external  things.  The  Stift 
has  gone  with  the  times  in  theology  and  philosophy,  or 
even,  in  many  cases  has  marked  out  the  way  for  the 
entire  Protestant  world.  But  it  is  and  remains  what  it 
has  become  in  four  hundred  years,  the  bulwark  of 
Swabian  Protestantism  and  the  Humanities  ...  "a 
lasting  monument  to  a  great  ruler,"  "the  noblest  jewel 
of  the  land."  In  1669,  in  the  renovated  dining-hall  of 
the  Stift,  the  inscription  was  carved  in  stone:  "Clau- 
strum  hoc  cum  patria  statque  caditque  sua."  In  1793, 
when  the  tablet  was  removed,  it  crumbled  to  pieces. 
So,  in  the  future,  much  that  is  old  or  antiquated  may, 
and  must  fall  away.  The  new  era  imperatively  demands 
its  right.  But  in  the  heart  of  the  Stift  the  proud  motto 
will  hold  its  own:  "This  cloister  stands  and  falls  with 
the  Fatherland !"  * 

*  No  history  of  the  Stift  has  ever  been  written,  though  material 
exists  in  masses,  from  official  documents  down  to  the  annals  kept 
in  many  of  the  rooms.  What  we  have  given  here  is  largely  a  very 
free  translation  of  portions  of  an  article  on  the  Tuebingen  Stift, 
that  appeared  in  the  Daheim  for  September  24,  1910,  from  the  pen 
of  Pastor  Karl  Gussmann,  cousin  and  namesake  of  a  classmate 
of  A.  S. 


I 


.  "S 


M 


THE  KOENIGSGESELLSCHAFT  33 

Any  sketch  of  the  Tuebingen  Stift  and  of  Adolph's 
life  there  would  be  incomplete  without  some  reference 
to  the  Koenigsgesellschaft,  the  association  of  Stiftler 
in  which  he  always  took  a  deep  interest,  and  which  held 
him  in  high  honor  to  the  end  of  his  life.  The  Society 
issued  for  its  75th  anniversary  (1913)  a  "Stammbuch 
des  Koenigs,"  upon  which  our  account  is  based.  Of  the 
earlier  fraternities  in  Tuebingen  we  need  say  only  a 
few  words.  They  were  formed  and  fell  apart,  having 
no  fixed  principles.  The  nominal  aim  of  these  associa- 
tions, the  awakening  of  a  sense  for  morality,  intellec- 
tuality and  patriotism  among  the  students,  commended 
them  to  the  Stiftler.  The  running  out  of  patriotism 
into  radicalism,  as  well  as  other  disorders,  repelled  them. 
In  June,  1833,  the  arrest  of  38  members  suspected  of 
revolutionary  intrigues  broke  up  the  most  prominent  of 
these  organizations,  from  which  nearly  all  of  the  Stiftler 
had  already  withdrawn.  In  1832  these  men,  with  other 
theological  students,  had  founded  a  very  informal  asso- 
ciation, mainly  for  the  enjoyment  of  each  others' 
company,  without  President  or  statutes,  without  even 
adopting  a  name,  though  they  were  usually  called 
Koenigsstiftler  from  the  tavern  in  which  they  met. 
After  the  founders  graduated  the  association  rapidly 
declined. 

In  1837  a  club  was  formed  by  a  few  Stiftler,  which 
in  1838  expanded  into  the  Koenigsgesellschaft,  having 
the  same  meeting  place  as  the  older  association,  the 
Tavern  zum  Koenig  von  Wuerttemberg.  The  advent 
of  the  new  organization  was  rather  encouraged  by  the 
Ephorus  Sigwart,  as  tending  to  lessen  the  influence  of 
other  societies  of  which  he  did  not  approve.  The 
Koenigsgesellschaft  elected  officers,  adopted  a  constitu- 
tion, and,  from  the  beginning,  held  regular  meetings. 
Only  Stiftler  were  eligible,  and  the  colors  were  black- 
red-gold.     These  could  not,  however,  be  openly  worn, 


34  STIFTLER  AND  VIKAR.— TUEBINGEN 

as  having  been  the  colors  of  the  tabooed  corps.  In  fact, 
not  only  Stift  regulations  but  also  an  edict  of  the  Gov- 
ernment had,  in  1825-6,  absolutely  forbidden  any  such 
association  among  students,  but  the  Koenigsgesellschaft 
was  never  molested,  as  it  gave  no  occasion  for  scandal.  In 
1839  the  name  Royalists  by  which  the  members  began 
to  be  known,  gave  place  to  the  familiar  Roigel.  Their 
meetings  were  held  in  private  rooms  in  the  Stift  or  in 
the  tavern  zum  Koenig. 

When  Adolph  entered  the  Stift  the  position  of  the 
Koenigsgesellschaft  had  become  firmly  established. 
With  several  of  the  more  prominent  members  of  his 
class  he  was  admitted  to  the  society  about  the  beginning 
of  1858,  and  his  readiness  as  a  speaker,  his  musical 
gifts,  his  light-hearted  participation  in  the  social  gather- 
ings of  his  companions,  soon  made  him  a  favorite  among 
them.  Dr.  F.  W.  A.  Notz  has  given  us  some  interesting 
details  of  these  Tuebingen  years.  "From  1859  till  the 
summer  of  1861  we  were  together  as  inmates  of  the 
Stift  and  members  of  the  Roigel  society.  I  have  a 
photograph  of  him,  with  a  short  dedication  in  his  own 
handwriting,  dated  January,  i860.  This  he  gave  me 
shortly  after,  and  in  remembrance  of,  the  introduction  * 
of  myself  and  some  other  'foxes'  (Freshmen)  into  the 
Roigel,  on  which  solemn  occasion  Adolph  presided  as 
'Fuchsmajor,'  Major  or  Drill  master  of  the  foxes.  Well 
do  I  remember  how  we  green  lads  stood  there  abashed 
and  awe-struck,  while  he,  with  the  dark  locks  floating 
round  his  pale  features,  fervently  impressed  upon  us 
the  duties  and  obligations  as  well  as  the  privileges  and 
amenities  of  foxdom.  He  proved  a  task-master  with  a 
big  heart,  kind  and  gentle  toward  his  foxes,  beloved 

*  This  ceremony  sometimes  included  a  very  mild  form  of  haz- 
ing. The  new  "Fuchs"  was  dressed  in  his  best  attire,  including  a 
tall  silk  hat,  and  was  obliged  to  give  a  history  of  his  life,  making 
it   as   "moving"  as  possible. 


SILCHER  AND  THE  LIEDERTAFEL  35 

of  us  all.  Impulsive  and  enterprising  by  nature,  winning 
in  his  appearance  and  manners,  prominent  as  an  organ- 
izer and  orator  in  set  and  in  extemporaneous  speech,  he 
became  a  leader  in  the  Roigel  as  in  other  organizations, 
especially  in  the  'Academische  Liedertafel.'  " 

Adolph  was  the  director  of  a  quartette,  which  sang 
usually  only  in  the  meetings  of  the  Roigel,  never  in 
public  beyond  taking  part  in  the  open  air  festivities  or 
riding  parties  of  the  society.  This  position  made  him 
indispensable  on  such  occasions.  The  story  is  told  of 
one  case  in  which  a  riding  party  was  appointed  for  the 
same  hour  at  which  he  was  to  deliver  a  sermon  before 
his  professors.  He  preached  until  the  auditors  were 
satisfied  and  dismissed  him.  Once  outside  the  chapel, 
where  fast  horses  were  waiting,  he  tore  off  the  gown  in 
unconscious  imitation  of  the  valiant  Muhlenberg,  dis- 
closing the  bright  uniform  of  the  Roigel,  and  calling  to 
his  fag:  "Fuchs,  spann  an!"  (hitch  up!)  overtook  his 
companions  before  they  reached  the  rendezvous. 

The  Koenigsgesellschaft  had  a  voice  in  electing  mem- 
bers of  the  Liedertafel,  a  voluntary  association  of  stu- 
dents who  could  sing,  under  the  direction  of  the  re- 
nowned composer  Professor  Silcher.  Adolph's  personal 
relations  with  Silcher  were  very  close.  He  gave  the 
chief  toast  at  a  banquet  held  when  the  beloved  Professor 
resigned  his  position  in  Tuebingen;  and  at  a  torch-light 
procession  in  his  honor,  March  14th,  i860,  Adolph  made 
a  speech  so  enthusiastic  that  fifty  years  later  it  was 
mentioned  in  a  Life  of  Fr.  Silcher  (1910).  Silcher 
died  after  a  few  months,  in  Tuebingen.  His  last  com- 
position is  said  to  have  been  the  touching  song:  "Mir 
ists  zu  wohl  ergangen."  ("Geschichte  der  Tuebinger 
Liedertafel,"  1879.)  In  *86i  Adolph  was  President  of 
the  society  during  the  summer  semester. 

"At  the  University  we  had  an  orchestra  belonging  to 
the  Stift,  which  played  every  Sunday  after  dinner,  in 


36  STIFTLER  AND  VIKAR.— TUEBINGEN 

the  dining-hall,  under  the  leadership  of  my  esteemed 
friend  Friedrich  Silcher,  the  academical  music-director. 
But  Silcher's  strength  did  not  lie  in  directing.  The 
Swabian  Volkslied  was  his  province.  There  his  great- 
ness appeared;  and  when,  in  the  Liedertafel  of  the 
University,  we  sang  for  him  his  own  wonderful  popular 
songs  with  spirit  and  understanding,  he  was  perfectly 
happy  and  satisfied.  He  was  too  mild  for  an  orchestra 
leader.  After  his  death  Professor  Scherzer  succeeded 
him,  and  a  new  life  was  infused  into  our  musical  per- 
formances. Scherzer  organized  a  town  orchestra,  of 
students,  professors  and  others.  He  brought  us  so  far 
that  for  the  productions  of  our  Oratorio  Society  our 
orchestra  supplied  the  accompaniment,  which  had  here- 
tofore been  given  by  Professor  Palmer  on  the  piano. 
We  also  ventured  to  give  Symphonies,  and  produced  at 
least  the  first  of  Beethoven's  nine,  with  a  fair  degree 
of  success.  I  say  'we'  for  I  played  first  clarinet  in  the 
orchestra."  (Erinnerungen.)  Many  years  later  we  read 
in  a  letter  to  one  of  his  sons:  "During  my  student 
years  in  Tuebingen  I  was  confronted  by  the  serious 
problem,  whether  a  systematic  study  of  the  Theory  of 
Music  in  which  I  took  such  passionate  delight,  would 
enable  me  to  make  musical  writing  and  criticism  my 
life-vocation,  even  if  I  did  not  become  a  composer." 

Professor  Straub  says  of  him:  "Among  those  of 
the  Promotion  who  remained  true  to  theology,  Adolph 
developed  the  greatest  activity  and  took  the  most  im- 
portant position,"  but  all  this  came  later.  That  he 
studied  faithfully  under  his  Professors  Oehler 
(Ephorus),  Beck  and  Palmer  is  shown  by  his  careful 
notes  of  lectures,  several  volumes  of  which  have  been 
deposited  in  the  Seminary  Library  at  Mt.  Airy.  He 
entered  the  lists  for  a  gold  medal  and  won  it,  by  his 
prize  sermon  on  the  text  given  him,  Rev.  3:7  ff.,  the 
message  to  the  Church  in  Philadelphia !    And  he  escaped 


THE  TUEBINGEN   SCHOOL  37 

entirely  the  dangerous  influences  of  the  "Tuebingen 
School"  by  which  some  of  his  dearest  friends  were  led 
astray.  In  reviewing  Dr.  Otto  Zoeckler's  Handbuch 
der  Theologischen  Wissenschaften,  in  1883,  Dr.  Spaeth 
says:  "He  gives  an  excellent  sketch  of  the  modern 
Tuebingen  School  of  Baur,  Schwegler,  etc.,  its  principles, 
the  conflict  with  it,  and  its  ultimate  defeat.  The  con- 
troversy roused  by  this  school  had  this  good  effect,  that 
the  early  history  of  Christianity  and  its  sources  were  once 
more  thoroughly  investigated,  and  that  both  came  out 
of  the  fiery  trial  unscathed.  Again,  the  conflict  with 
this  kind  of  criticism  sharpened  the  sight  of  theologians 
to  detect  the  enemy  all  the  more  readily,  in  whatever 
new  disguise  he  might  appear."  * 

*  Ferdinand  Christian  Baur,  the  founder  of  the  "Tuebingen 
School"  of  theology,  had  been  Professor  in  Blaubeuren  1817-1826, 
and  from  1826-1860  Professor  of  Theology  in  Tuebingen.  His 
famous  essay,  "Die  Tuebinger  Schule  und  Ihre  Stellung  zur  Ge- 
genwart,"  appeared  in  1859.  The  leaders  in  the  movement  with 
Baur  were  in  the  beginning  chiefly  Wuertembergers  like  himself, 
such  as  Eduard  Zeller,  whose  main  work  however  was  philosophi- 
cal rather  than  theological,  which  is  also  true  of  Albert  Schwegler, 
Professor  of  philosophy  and  classical  philology  at  Tuebingen. 

Besides  the  critical  and  historical  writings  of  Baur  himself, 
the  chief  organ  of  the  movement  was  the  series  of  "Theologische 
Jahrbuecher"  Tuebingen,  1842-1857.  Baur,  starting  from  the  posi- 
tive, though  strongly  subjective  position  of  Schleiermacher,  soon 
came  under  the  influence  of  the  Hegelian  philosophy.  The  essential 
characteristic  of  the  "Tuebingen  School"  theology  was  the  at- 
tempted reconstruction  of  historic  Christianity,  especially  the  Apos- 
tolic Age,  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  Hegelian  philosophy  of 
history.  Its  epoch-making  influence  however,  resulted  from  the 
application  of  the  principles  of  historical  criticism  to  the  study  of 
the  New  Testament  writings.  Much  of  this  criticism  was  destruc- 
tive and  merely  negative  in  its  results,  and  many  of  the  positions  of 
conservative  theology  challenged  by  the  Tuebingen  School  have 
been  recaptured  on  a  firmer  historic  foundation  by  a  more  scientific 
and  more  genuinely  and  thoroughly  historic  application  of  the 
methods  first  applied  by  that  School,  as  shown  for  instance,  in  the 
Pauline  studies  of  Sir  W.  Ramsay. 


38  STIFTLER  AND  VIKAR.— TUEBINGEN 

During  his  first  years  in  the  Stift  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  several  upper-class  men  whose  wise  and 
loving  advice  no  doubt  saved  him  from  many  mistakes, 
and  after  they  left  the  University  their  letters  continued 
the  same  kindly  relation.  On  one  occasion  Adolph  had 
shown  a  warm  partisan  interest  in  some  passing  dis- 
turbance in  the  Stift,  and  one  of  these  friends  writes: 
"I  would  beg  you  not  to  waste  pathos  over  Stift  matters 
in  general,  but  only  to  concern  yourself  with  your  own 
or  those  of  your  friends.  Such  things  are  not  worth  the 
entanglements  that  grow  out  of  them  in  later  years.  In 
the  life  of  the  Stift  nothing  has  any  value  for  the  future, 
except  what  one  has  really  worked  at  with  personal 
interest,  either  in  the  line  of  scholarship  or  social  accom- 
plishment." 

In  reply  to  a  confession  of  some  youthful  indiscretion 
the  same  far-sighted  and  tender  friend  writes:  "I  am 
not  so  much  troubled  by  these  things  as  you  seem  to 
be.  I  hear  not  only  the  somewhat  easy-going  and  vacil- 
lating student  whom  I  know,  but  also  the  strong,  capable 
nature,  with  a  future  yet  to  be  developed;  striving  to 
get  away  from  the  motley  nothingness  of  student  life, 
and  still  impeded  by  remnants  of  childish  notions  after 
six  years  of  seminary  training;  .  .  .  but  how  can 
one  attain  freedom,  who  has  been  so  systematically  kept 
in  the  dependence  of  infancy!  .  .  .  The  spiritual 
growth  of  a  Man  does  not  go  by  the  calendar.  That 
will  come.  So,  take  it  slowly;  think  of  your  future  as 
your  best  possession.     A  many-sided  and  highly-strung 

The  weakness  of  the  Tuebingen  School  lay  in  its  entangling 
alliances  with  the  tenets  of  a  too  subjective  and  a  priori  philoso- 
phy of  history.  Its  strength  lay  in  its  contribution  to  the  develop- 
ment of  an  objective  scientific  method  of  historic  criticism  in  the 
field  of  theology.— (J.  D.  S.) 

See  also  Article  by  Dr.  A.  Spaeth,  Seminary  Training  Com- 
pared with  German  University  Training,  Lutheran  Church  Review, 
October,  1906. 


FIRST  SERMON.— ORDINATION  39 

nature  needs  more  time  to  develop  a  perfectly  organized 
and  consistent  character."  Other  enduring  friendships 
were  formed  at  this  time  with  (Dr.)  Paul  Buder,  later 
Professor  in  Tuebingen,  and  Rector  of  the  University 
in  1891;  and  the  brothers  F.  E.  Kuebel,  Dekan  in 
Esslingen,  1879,  and  Robert  B.  Kuebel,  Doctor  and  Pro- 
fessor of  Theology  in  Tuebingen. 

On  Easter  Monday,  1859,  Adolph  preached  publicly 
for  the  first  time  in  the  church  of  Pastor  Bilfinger  at 
Rohracker,  his  theme  being  the  Disciples  at  Emmaus. 
In  i860  or  '61  he  preached  the  sermon  of  which  his 
mother  writes,  in  1895:  "Today,  Good  Friday,  I  recall 
the  first  sermon  I  heard  from  you,  on  Good  Friday  after- 
noon in  Nellingen.  How  my  heart  beat  when  I  saw 
you  so  pale,  ascending  the  pulpit  stairs !  But  as  soon  as 
you  began  The  Lamb  that  was  slain'  my  anxiety  was 
gone,  and  my  heart  was  full  of  joy  and  thanksgiving, 
that  the  time  for  preaching  had  come.  How  many 
hundreds,  even  thousands  of  sermons  have  you  preached 
since  then,  and  the  Lord  has  blessed  your  work.  The 
Mayor  in  Nellingen  was  a  true  prophet  when  he  con- 
gratulated me  as  we  went  out:  'Aus  dem  wurd  Ebbes!' 
'He's  going  to  make  something !'  " 

October  10,  1861  *  he  was  ordained  by  Dekan  von 
Buehrer,  a  connection  of  Dr.  W.  J.  Mann,  though  not 
an  uncle  as  has  been  stated,  in  Waiblingen,  the  diocese 
in  which  Bittenfeld  was,  where  he  was  appointed  Vikar 
(curate).  Bittenfeld,  a  rambling  old  village,  came  into 
some  prominence  at  the  time  of  the  great  Schiller  cele- 

*On  the  same  day  Maria  Duncan  arrived  in  Esslingen  to  begin 
her  residence  in  the  Spaeth  home  there.  Adolph  met  her  for  the 
first  time  October  28th,  when  he  came  from  Bittenfeld  to  cele- 
brate his  twenty-second  birthday.  He  found  her  "buried  over 
head  and  ears  in  the  German  Grammar,  and  taking  very  little 
notice  of  the  young  Vikar.  Any  exchange  of  ideas  was  simply 
impossible,  as  they  possessed  no  language  in  common."     (Memoir.) 


4o  STIFTLER  AND  VIKAR.— BITTENFELD 

bration  (1905),  as  the  birthplace  of  Johann  Caspar 
Schiller,  father  of  the  poet.  The  parsonage  in  Bittenfeld 
was  very  quiet  and  dull  after  Tuebingen.  The  family 
consisted  of  the  old  Pastor  Arnold  and  his  wife,  one 
daughter  of  mature  years,  and  the  little  dog  Assur.  Be- 
tween him  and  the  lonely,  homesick  young  Vikar  a  warm 
friendship  soon  sprang  up,  and  Assur  forsook  his  former 
companions  to  follow  his  new  favorite  on  his  daily  walks 
through  field  and  forest,  or  to  lie  on  his  feet  under  the 
study  table.  One  touching  picture  of  the  lack  of  human 
sympathy  in  the  strange  surroundings,  is  thus  sketched  in 
the  Erinnerungen:  "In  the  course  of  years  my  musical 
horizon  had  become  ever  wider  and  fuller,  and  having 
a  good  memory  which  held  fast  what  I  had  heard  or 
played,  I  took  with  me  into  the  still-life  of  my  first 
vicariate  in  Bittenfeld  quite  a  respectable  musical  reper- 
toire. Of  course  there  could  be  no  concert  there,  there 
was  not  even  a  piano  in  the  parsonage,  and  my  clarinet 
had  been  left  in  the  Stift.  Its  notes  would  indeed  have 
been  misinterpreted  by  my  peasant  parishioners.  And 
yet,  in  my  quiet  room,  I  many  a  time  enjoyed  a  great 
musical  treat.  There  happened  to  be  several  scores  of 
Haydn's  Symphonies  among  my  books,  which,  through 
frequent  rehearsal,  were  familiar  to  me  in  every  detail. 
One  of  these  I  would  now  and  then  take  up,  and,  stand- 
ing on  my  high  desk,  would  direct  in  spirit  the  entire 
Symphony  from  the  first  bar  to  the  last,  with  my  invisible 
and  inaudible  orchestra.  There  was  neither  audience 
nor  spectator  except  the  shaggy  parsonage  dog,  my 
faithful  Assur,  who  showed  on  these  occasions  how  deep 
was  the  sympathy  between  him  and  his  friend.  As  soon 
as  I  rapped  for  my  orchestra,  with  a  ruler  for  baton, 
he  would  come  out  from  under  the  table  and  take  up 
his  position  as  an  attentive  and  appreciative  hearer. 
How  he  would  prick  up  his  ears  and  wag  his  tail  at  the 
tender  Andante  passages!     How  wildly  did  he  applaud 


// <  (Y/lcf-tn-.  (   -^Yen  r,/t<y</f  \ 


<^Yj(  YY(  / 1/(  YrY 


FIRST  LITURGICAL  SERVICE  41 

with  his  bark,  the  forte  and  fortissimo,  when  the  kettle- 
drums and  trumpets  came  in!  Verily,  Assur  understood 
his  Director." 

"I  was  not  conscious  at  that  time  of  having  any  special 
natural  gift,  or  any  unusual  endowment  as  orator  or 
preacher.  .  .  .  When  I  was  obliged  to  preach  regu- 
larly in  Bittenfeld  I  was  in  constant  dread  of  sticking 
fast.  My  sermon  was  always  carefully  written  out, 
and  just  as  carefully  committed  to  memory.  I  never 
thought  of  reading  it  in  the  pulpit,  but  always  had  my 
manuscript  before  me,  and,  although  I  did  not  glance 
at  it,  always  turned  leaf  by  leaf  until  I  came  to  the  Amen. 
Without  this  leading-string  I  thought  that  I  must  fall. 
Of  course  I  realized  soon  enough  that  this  could  not  go 
on.  The  paper  stood  like  a  wall  between  me  and  my 
hearers.  ...  At  last  the  matter  was  decided.  For 
a  week-day  service  when  very  few  persons  were  in  the 
village  church,  I  took  courage  to  leave  the  manuscript 
at  home:  This  day  it  must  bend  or  break !'  And  behold, 
it  went  all  right,  and  from  that  time  I  was  done  with 
manuscript  in  the  pulpit."  (Erinnerungen.)  Somewhat 
the  same  experience  was  repeated  when  he  began  to 
preach  in  English.  For  a  long  time  he  followed  his 
manuscript  very  closely.  In  later  years,  more  familiar 
with  the  language,  he  sometimes  spoke  without  notes 
though  never  quite  with  the  fire  and  force  of  his  German 
preaching. 

"During  my  vicariate  in  Bittenfeld  my  first  attempt  to 
hold  a  liturgical  service  was  made,  on  Good  Friday  after- 
noon in  1862.  I  had  been  pleading  for  some  time  with 
my  dear  old  pastor  for  permission  to  hold  a  special 
service  in  the  village  church,  at  the  hour  of  our  Saviour's 
death,  until  at  last  he  consented.  'But  what  do  you 
intend  especially  to  do,  Herr  Vikar?'  asked  the  pastor. 
'Nothing  unusual,'  I  replied,  'except  that  we  will  sing 
a  few  more  verses  than  we  generally  do  in  our  service.' 


42  STIFTLER  AND  VIKAR.— BITTENFELD 

This  was  literally  true.  I  announced  to  the  congrega- 
tion that  we  would  take  up  together  the  Seven  Words 
on  the  Cross,  and  after  the  remarks  which  I  would 
make  on  each  one  the  congregation  would  fall  in  with 
a  verse  of  Hiller's  hymn  'Einiger  Mittler  und  ewiger 
Priester'  from  the  Wuerttemberg  Hymnbook.  So  it 
came  to  pass.  But  I  had  secured  the  'falling  in'  of  the 
congregation  promptly  and  without  any  signal,  like  a 
liturgical  response,  by  having  the  schoolmaster  drill  the 
children  in  the  required  verses.  One  glance  toward  the 
organ  where  the  youthful  singers  were  gathered  about 
him,  was  enough,  and  the  children's  choir  of  one  hundred 
voices,  with  organ  accompaniment,  was  so  strong  and 
irresistible  that  it  carried  everyone  with  it.  Many  years 
later  I  met  now  and  then  an  immigrant  from  Bittenfeld 
who  spoke  with  deep  emotion  of  that  Good  Friday  ser- 
vice, and  the  never-to-be-forgotten  impression  made  by 
it  on  my  village  congregation."  ( Erinnerungen. ) 

In  Bittenfeld,  Adolph  applied  himself  to  the  study 
of  theology,  though  haunted  by  the  feeling  that  another 
vocation  would  suit  him  better;  and  was  planning  to 
spend  a  year  in  travel  before  making  the  final  decision. 
An  intimate  friend  writes:  "The  pastoral  office,  in 
spite  of  all  his  good  resolutions  and  fresh  attempts,  still 
seems  to  my  old  friend  to  be  a  sort  of  grave,  and  so 
he  would  like  to  enjoy  his  youth  yet  for  a  time,  and 
even  take  a  look  at  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  wide  world, 
to  find  out  whether  it  is  not,  perhaps,  worth  while  to 
make  common  cause  with  the  Prince  thereof.  .  .  . 
Epicurus  still  has  his  followers,  even  among  the  candi- 
dates in  theology,  who  say:  'Let  us  eat  and  drink  and 
be  merry  for  tomorrow  we  die,'  i.  e.,  enter  upon  our 
calling.  .  .  .  Putting  on  the  new  man  is  not  easy. 
Many,  to  this  day,  try  to  accomplish  it  with  a  new  coat, 
instead  of  a  new  heart.  .  .  .  But  we  will  not  shirk 
the  strife  and  struggle;  will  not  rush  from  one  position 


RESIGNATION   IN   BITTENFELD  43 

to  another,  but  seek  to  prove  all  things,  test  and  confirm 
them  by  experience,  that  the  result  may  not  be  idle 
talk,  but  a  life,  a  complete,  energetic  and  sound  life.  .  . 
.  .  And  in  this  search  we  will  keep  our  eyes  and  our 
spirit  open  to  the  Truth,  that  we  may  not  be  deceived 
by  any  false  show." 

Meanwhile  the  attraction  of  Maria  Duncan's  presence 
in  Esslingen  drew  Adolph  more  and  more  frequently  to 
his  home.  In  July  he  had  the  "unspeakable  joy" 
(Memoir.)  of  having  her  and  his  sister  Emma  among 
his  hearers  in  the  village  church.  In  August  the  "lovely 
Esslingen  Idyl  came  to  an  end"  (ibid.)  by  the  rather 
unexpected  departure  of  Miss  Duncan  for  Scotland. 
This  was  the  last  straw.  The  health  of  the  young  Vikar 
had  already  suffered  from  the  sudden  change  to  a 
sedentary  life;  he  began  to  fear  lung-trouble,  and  as  his 
lonely  position  in  Bittenfeld  became  unendurable,  his 
physician  advised  a  complete  change  of  air  and  scene. 
Fortunately  this  was  soon  made  possible  by  his  receiving 
a  call  to  accompany  a  wealthy  invalid  to  Italy  for  the 
winter,  as  tutor  to  her  only  son. 


CHAPTER  III 

DIE   WANDERJAHRE 

Italy  and  Scotland 

1862-1864 

O   wandern,  O  wandern,  du   freie   Burschenlust ! 
Da  wehet  Gottes  Odem  so  frisch  in  der  Brust! 
Da  singet  und  jauchzet  das  Herz  im  Himmelszelt: 
Wie  bist  du  doch  so  schoen,  O  du  weite,  weite  Welt! 

Geibel. 

In  October,  1862,  the  journey  to  Italy  was  begun,  and 
early  in  November  Adolph  found  himself  settled  for 
the  winter  in  Venice,  almost  before  he  realized  what 
was  happening.  November  30,  1862:  "Four  weeks  al- 
ready in  Venice,  and  not  one  stroke  of  the  pen ;  nothing 
recorded  of  the  rushing  torrent  which  has  brought  me 
so  much  in  art  and  nature  that  I  never  experienced,  never 
imagined !  The  reason  may  well  be  that  the  journey 
broke  upon  me  like  a  storm ;  a  sudden  whirlwind  tore  me 
so  unexpectedly  from  my  family  just  as  the  dream  of 
Italy,  scarcely  risen  above  the  horizon  of  my  fantasy, 
had  sunk  again, — that  I  only  awoke  in  Venice,  and 
realized  where  I  am,  and  what  I  have  here."  His  Diary, 
begun  in  Venice,  gives  many  details  of  a  life  where  all 
was  so  new  and  so  fascinating.  His  quick  sympathy 
went  out  to  the  Venetians,  at  that  time  under  the  yoke 
of  Austria,  and  very  often  he  reflects  the  ill-concealed 
bitterness  of  his  friends  as  they  pointed  out  one  stately 
palace  after  another,  with  the  remark:  "Now  Austrian 
barracks!"  To  his  great  disgust,  even  the  Palace  of  the 
Doges  was  occupied  by  an  Austrian  guard.     His  first 


HOUSEKEEPING  IN  VENICE  45 

visit  to  St.  Mark's  and  the  Campanile  impressed  him 
as  a  bit  of  the  "Arabian  Nights,"  and  he  said  softly  to 
little  Lucien:  "It  is  St.  Mark's  Square!"  in  order  to 
assure  himself  that  it  was  not  a  dream. 

"In  the  hotel  where  our  apartments  were  engaged 
for  the  first  night,  the  low,  narrow  rooms,  without  light, 
owing  to  the  immensely  high  houses  which  shut  them  in, 
evidently  disenchanted  and  depressed  my  companions, 
while  for  my  part,  I  took  things  as  they  came,  firmly 
convinced  that  it  could  not  be  otherwise  in  Venice,  and 
even    found   attractive    features   in   the    gloomy,    close 
quarters."     After  one  rainy  day  they  moved  into  a  far 
better  hotel,  with  a  view  over  the  harbor  of  the  Lido, 
pleasant  but  extremely  expensive,  and  a  few  days  later 
Adolph  succeeded  in  finding  a  spacious,  sunny  apartment 
on  the  Riva,  which  Frau  Dr.  C.  took  for  the  winter. 
Great  was  the  surprise  of  the  young  Swabian  at  the 
difference  between  German  and  Italian  ideas  of  furnish- 
ing, of  contracts,  of  common  honesty;  but  at  last  the 
necessary  conveniences  were  secured  one  by  one,  and 
the  lodgings  took  on  some  degree  of  comfort,   after 
much  conflict  with  the  stubborn  landlady,  who  confessed, 
with  a  dignity  and  naivete  which  compelled  admiration, 
that  the  less  her  tenants  insisted  upon  their  rights,  the 
less  they  received!     In  his  unaccustomed  work  as  tutor 
Adolph  was  also  frequently  goaded  into  righteous  wrath, 
even  though  it  was  tempered  by  feeling  that  his  little 
pupil   was    fond   of   him.      But   at   an   early   stage   he 
philosophically  remarks:     "I  have  no  intention  of  letting 
Venice  and  Italy  be  soured  for  me  by  the  mistakes  of  a 
little  ignoramus  in  his  declensions,— so,  basta!"     Every 
day  when  lessons  were  done,  he  and  Lucien  went  out 
to  explore  the  intricate,  narrow  streets  of  Venice,  some- 
times coming  on  unexpected  points  of  interest,  some- 
times to  a  dead  wall  which  forced  them  to  ask  their 


46  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— ITALY 

way  to  a  place  from  which  they  could  make  a  fresh 
start. 

The  gondolas  were  an  ever  new  delight  to  him,  in 
their  smooth  motion,  and  in  the  skill  with  which  the 
boatmen  guided  them  in  the  narrow  and  often  crowded 
canals.  "As  everything  in  Venice  unites  in  telling  of 
an  ancient  and  wonderful  period,  and  of  a  generation 
long  past,  so  is  even  such  a  gondola  an  eloquent  witness, 
a  cherished  relic,  of  the  old  City  of  the  Doges.  To  be 
sure  its  appearance  is  gloomy,  melancholy  if  you  will, — 
I  find  it  only  serious  and  solemn,  like  a  widow's  mourn- 
ing garb;  the  black  color,  the  black  fringes,  the  black 
curtains,  the  black,  mostly  ornamentally  carved  wood- 
work, the  slender,  boldly  projecting  prow,  all  please  me 
exceedingly.  At  the  same  time,  owing  to  its  extreme 
lightness,  the  gondola  is  by  far  the  most  practical  sub- 
stitute for  the  cab,  in  public  and  private  use  on  the 
Lagoons.  The  ease  and  rapidity  with  which  it  is  pro- 
pelled by  one  gondolier,  using  a  single  oar,  the  instant 
halt,  when  the  anxious  passenger  thinks  a  collision  un- 
avoidable,— all  this  is  a  daily  cause  of  astonishment  and 
admiration."  (Brief e  aus  Venedig,  Kirchenblatt,  1887.) 

But  the  sea,  as  he  saw  it  from  the  Lido,  was  the 
crowning  joy  of  all  these  new  and  wonderful  experiences. 
One  description  of  the  waves  in  a  storm,  reads  almost 
like  blank  verse,*  as  the  lines  follow  the  roll  of  the  surf. 
And  again,  on  the  same  coast,  he  and  Lucien  were  chil- 
dren together,  filling  their  pockets  with  the  beautiful 
shells. 

*  Immer  naeher  und  naeher  toente  das  Brausen  und  Bruellen. 
.  .  Da  lag  das  endlose  Meer  vor  meinen  Augen — nicht  wie  in  jener 
Nacht,  als  ich  es  im  Mondschein  vor  Triest  erblickte,  nicht  wie 
an  jenem  goldenen  Abend  vom  Campanile  aus,  als  die  scheidende 
Sonne  ihr  rosiges  Licht  ueber  seine  spiegelglatte,  blaue  Flaeche 
breitete; — schwarz  und  grau  hingen  die  Wolken  herum,  dunkel- 
grau  mit  schwarzen  Schattirung  dehnten  sich  die  Wasser  in  un- 
absehbarer  Weite. 


MAKING  FRIENDS  47 

Toward  the  end  of  November  he  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  youth  of  seventeen  years,  sent  to  Venice  for 
his  health,  who  did  him  the  double  service  of  providing 
a  companion  nearer  his  own  age  than  Lucien  and 
Ludovico,  and  also  showing  him  what  real  weakness  of 
the  lungs  meant,  and  thereby  greatly  reassuring  him  as 
to  his  own  condition.  Ludovico  was  the  landlady's 
little  son,  who  spent  two  hours  every  evening  in  Italian 
conversation  over  the  German  picture-books,  "and  was 
very  proud  of  his  honorary  title:  il  mio  piccolo  maestro." 
From  this  time  on  Eckstein  was  with  him  almost  daily, 
and  responded  well  to  the  efforts  of  his  new  friend  to 
rouse  him  from  the  melancholy  with  which  Venice  had 
so  far  inspired  him.  Adolph's  first  love  among  the 
paintings  which  adorn  the  churches  of  Venice,  was  the 
Santa  Barbara  ("das  heilige  Baebele!"),  by  Palma 
vecchio,  in  Santa  Maria  Formosa,  and  in  every  few 
pages  we  find  him  returning  to  study  its  beauties.  "I 
believe,"  he  writes,  "that  Eckstein  is  already  much 
more  contented  in  Venice,  since  I  showed  him  the  Santa 
Barbara!"  The  little  family  soon  found  pleasant  friends 
among  German  residents  of  Venice,  to  whom  they  had 
letters  of  introduction.  "This  evening  Eckstein  called, 
with  Frau  Dr.  Righetti,  a  pleasant,  vivacious  lady  from 
Frankfurt,  and  we  mangled  the  Italian  language  among 
us,  that  it  was  a  joy  to  hear!  ...  At  nine  o'clock 
I  saw  Eckstein  home,  and  on  the  Marcusplatz,  in  the 
dazzling  moonlight,  we  tried  to  be  sentimental,  but 
without  much  success,  because  Eckstein's  absurd  appear- 
ance always  made  me  laugh.  He  had  tied  on  his  res- 
pirator, and  had  a  bottle  of  milk  in  his  hand,  looking 
just  like  an  Italian  milk  vendor !     .     .     .     Eckstein  * 

♦Ernst  Eckstein,  poet  and  author,  born  February  6,  1845,  in 
Giessen.  Published  his  first  work,  "Schach  der  Koenigen,"  while 
in  Paris,  1870.  A  prolific  writer  whose  poetic  talent  "showed 
itself  preeminently  in  a  rich  fancy,  a  constant  flow  of  humor,  a»d 


48  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— ITALY 

asked  me  what  I  thought  of  Woman  in  general, — a 
funny  question! — on  such  an  evening!"  (Diary.) 

We  cannot  give  in  detail  his  description  of  the  treas- 
ures of  art  and  architecture  familiar  to  everyone  who 
has  visited  Venice.  The  old  Masters  whose  work 
pleased  him  became  as  personal  friends  to  him.  The 
pictures  of  others  were  "elende  Sudeleien,"  wretched 
daubs!  Some  of  the  churches  were  too  ornate  for  his 
taste,  though  now  and  then  he  appreciates  the  immense 
amount  of  money  they  must  have  cost.  Grand  sim- 
plicity and  magnificent  proportions  appealed  to  him 
more.  In  the  Ducal  Palace  many  of  the  historical 
frescoes  he  found  monotonous  and  stiff,  and  the  wrath 
of  the  young  Swabian  bursts  out:  "What  did  it  help 
the  stately  Barbarossa  to  say  'non  tibi  sed  Petro' — he 
knelt  nevertheless  before  Alexander  III,  and  the  insolent 
Italian  looked  down  on  the  Imperial  throne  of  Ger- 
many !" 

In  the  street  scenes  he  was  greatly  interested,  in  the 
ever  changing  crowd,  besieged  by  beggars  and  street 
vendors  of  every  description,  in  the  festivals  and  pro- 
cessions of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  in  the  happy-go- 
lucky  Venetians  of  the  lower  orders,  eating  melons  and 
sweetmeats  or  sunning  themselves  on  the  broad  marble 
stairs,  with  the  Austrian  flag  waving  merrily  over  them ! 

An  excursion  to  Isola  san  Lazaro,  an  Armenian 
cloister,  was  the  most  interesting  event  of  its  kind  in 
Venice.  The  cloister  was  surrounded  by  lovely  gardens 
and  afforded  a  fine  view  of  the  city.  A  majestic,  black- 
bearded  old  brother  showed  the  gentlemen  over  the 
whole  building,  while  the  ladies  of  the  party  were  al- 
lowed to  entertain  themselves  in  the  garden.  The  cor- 
ridors reminded  Adolph  of  his  beloved  Blaubeuren,  ex- 
unusual  mastery  over  rhythm  and  rhyme." — (Meyer's  Konversations- 
Lexikon.) 


- r  M^l 

llll 

Ira 

L^H^f^Hr 

J^aHb 

BJi ' ! ' 

I  SOLA  SAN  LAZARO  49 

cept  that  they  enclosed  a  court  laid  out  in  beautiful 
flower  beds,  "whereas  our  enterprising  horticulturists 
would  have  covered  this  space  with  radishes,  beets  and 
other  useful  kitchen  truck."  The  chapel  was  not  par- 
ticularly interesting,  but  in  the  upper  corridors  hung 
paintings  of  Armenian  abbots  and  priors,  fine  heads 
among  them,  mostly  of  a  decidedly  oriental  type,  and 
here  an  aged  brother  with  a  long  white  beard  passed 
them,  who,  they  were  told,  was  106  years  old!  The 
library  contained  many  valuable  Manuscripts.  Codices 
in  every  language  "stood  up  in  the  high  glass  cases  like 
men  in  armor;"  and,  most  astonishing  of  all,  there  lay 
an  Egyptian  mummy,  "a  heathen  priest"  more  than  3,000 
years  old!  No  wonder  that  the  dreamy  boy  indulges 
in  a  long,  paragraph  of  speculation  as  to  what  would 
happen  if  the  "heathen  priest"  should  suddenly  open  his 
eyes  on  the  towering  Alps,  instead  of  the  pyramids  which 
he  would  naturally  expect!  And  no  wonder,  after 
seeing  the  beautifully  illuminated  Armenian  manuscripts, 
that  the  two  friends  resolved  to  study  at  least  the  36 
letters  of  this  alphabet  at  once!  What  did  they  not 
resolve  to  study!  Armenian,  English,  Italian,  Greek 
poets,  stenography, — and  always  the  soft  Italian  air,  the 
golden  sunshine,  the  luxurious  gondolas,  the  "dim  re- 
ligious light"  of  the  churches,  the  music  in  the  Marcus- 
platz,  drew  them  away  again,  and  study  could  wait  for 
a  more  convenient  season. 

Sunday  in  Venice  was  much  like  other  days,  except 
that  a  few  quiet  hours  were  usually  devoted  to  home 
letters.  But  near  the  end  of  the  year  the  Diary  records 
a  new  and  interesting  experience.  December  28,  1862: 
"Today  is  Sunday,  and  I  resolved,  at  any  cost,  to  carry 
out  my  long  cherished  wish  to  attend  the  Church  of 
the  Jesuits  and  hear  the  sermon.  As  I  entered  the 
church  exactly  at  eleven,  the  Mass  continued  for 
a  few  minutes  longer,  giving  me  time  for  a  hasty  glance 


50  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— ITALY 

over  the  interior  of  the  building.  The  walls  are  inlaid 
with  verd-antique ;  the  wonderful  pillars,  the  vaulted 
ceiling,  painted  and  gilded,  the  light  admitted  only  from 
above  and  subdued  by  crimson  drapery, — produced  al- 
together a  magical  effect.  I  found  a  good  place  on  a 
small  bench  near  a  confessional,  just  opposite  the  pulpit. 
The  church  was  already  very  full,  but  when  the  Mass 
ended  and  the  sermon  began,  still  greater  crowds  pressed 
in,  so  that  I  lost  the  opening  sentences  in  the  confusion. 
But  soon  everything  became  absolutely  still,  and  now 
I  found  to  my  delight  how  plainly  and  with  what  sharp 
accent  the  preacher  spoke,  so  that  every  letter  impressed 
itself  on  the  ear.  His  attitude  was  very  quiet  at  first, 
but  as  he  gradually  grew  warmer,  his  arms  and  hands, 
his  eyes,  his  gestures,  all  spoke  and  preached  together. 
It  seemed  as  if  his  feet  even,  must  soon  be  drawn  into 
action, — and  sure  enough,  now  he  takes  a  few  steps  to 
the  right,  then  again  to  the  left.  In  short,  he  is  all 
motion,  life,  fire.  At  home,  in  sober  Germany,  our  eyes 
would  probably  be  offended  by  this  'theatrical'  delivery, 
as  we  should  certainly  judge  it.  Here  in  Italy,  I  believe 
it  cannot  be  otherwise,  and  even  the  most  animated 
German  preacher  would  seem  stiff  and  dull  to  the  Italian. 
For  Pathos,  and  indeed  a  tremendous  amount  of  pathos, 
is  put  into  every  sentence  spoken  by  the  common  people, 
the  gondoliers,  the  beggar  boys,  and  that  is  what  they 
also  expect  from  the  pulpit.  I  must  confess  that  I  was 
not  at  all  disturbed  by  the  sight  of  this  lively  action.  It 
is  as  if  the  sound  of  the  Italian  inevitably  struck  out 
sparks,  and,  if  it  is  to  be  rightly  declaimed,  arms  and 
legs,  even  the  whole  body,  must  be  set  going!  More- 
over, the  sermon  was  anything  but  a  vulgar  screaming 
and  haranguing.  It  was  very  fine,  absolutely  seemly  and 
proper,  and  after  every  violent  explosion  the  preacher 
quickly  resumed  his  first  quiet,  steady  manner.  So  much 
for  the  delivery. 


THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  JESUITS  51 

"As  to  the  address  itself,  I  could  hardly  expect 
in  listening  to  my  first  sermon  that  every  sentence 
would  stand  clearly  and  word  for  word  before  me. 
But  I  understood  all  the  thoughts  of  the  speaker,  and 
could  follow  the  sense  almost  step  by  step.  He  spoke 
of  the  Divine  Law  of  the  Gospel,  how  it  might  be  burden- 
some or  light,  of  the  sacrifices  demanded  by  this  law; 
and  on  the  other  hand  of  the  chains  rivetted  upon  man 
by  the  dominion  of  the  world.  His  sermon  was  richly 
adorned  with  stories  from  the  lives  of  the  Saints,  all 
of  which  he  presented  in  such  a  charming,  vivid  way, 
that  the  whole  scene  was  before  our  eyes.  They  all 
served  to  prove  that  the  Divine  Law  was  not  only  easily 
fulfilled,  but  certain  of  fulfilment,  as  God  could  not  be 
such  a  tyrant  as  to  demand  something  impossible  of  us, 
and  attach  the  death  penalty  to  our  failure  to  do  His 
will.  .  .  .  And  any  one  who  had  listened  attentively 
and  with  a  sincere  heart  must  have  been  carried  with 
him,  when,  at  the  close  of  his  sermon,  the  preacher,  with 
an  eloquent  gesture  toward  the  crucifix  at  his  left,  cried 
earnestly:  'Amate,  amate  Gesum!'  Then  I  saw  why 
the  crucifix  is  on  the  pulpit,  and  how  it  must  help  the 
action,  adding  to  it  at  the  right  moment  a  wonderful 
power  and  conviction. 

"Now  a  word  about  the  audience.  It  was  gratify- 
ing to  see  how  perfectly  still  the  people  were,  refrain- 
ing from  anything  which  could  have  disturbed  the 
preacher,  or  forced  him  to  strain  his  voice  in  speaking. 
There  was  no  coughing,  no  clearing  of  the  throat, 
no  display  of  handkerchiefs,  which  with  us  at  home, 
especially  in  winter,  so  often  reduce  the  preacher 
almost  to  despair.  Only  when  the  Pater  made  a 
pause  and  sat  down,  the  opportunity  was  quickly  used, 
and  all  over  the  assembly  the  coughing,  with  whatever 
similar  observances  there  may  be,  received  proper  at- 
tention.    When  he  rose,  everyone  was  at  once  still  as 


52  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— ITALY 

a  mouse.  The  audience  consisted  mostly  of  women  and 
girls,  for  whom  the  highly  colored  language  seemed 
particularly  designed.  For  the  sake  of  the  girls  many 
a  languishing  young  Venetian  goes  to  church,  as  there 
are  no  barriers  here  between  the  sexes.  They  sit 
together  wherever  there  is  a  vacant  place,  the  learned 
Doctor  and  the  ragged  beggar  woman,  the  Venetian 
beauty  beside  or  in  front  of  her  adorer,  as  she  prefers." 
So  fascinated  was  the  young  Wuerttemberg  theologian 
by  this  orator,  that  he  attended  no  less  than  three  ser- 
vices in  the  Church  of  the  Jesuits,  during  the  short  time 
remaining  to  him  in  Venice. 

Christmas,  New  Year,  Epiphany  all  had  passed  by, 
and  Adolph  began  to  long  to  get  away  from  Venice. 
Various  plans  were  discussed  and  abandoned.  Once  it 
was  proposed  that  he  and  Lucien  should  go  alone  to 
Florence,  but  to  his  great  disappointment  this  was  not  to 
be.  Their  movements  were  made  more  uncertain  by 
repeated  hemorrhages  which  rendered  Frau  Dr.  C.  unfit 
to  travel.  At  last,  February  8th,  they  left  Venice  in 
fog  so  dense  that  they  could  only  guess  from  Baedeker 
where  they  were.  In  Milan  and  Genoa  they  halted,  and 
on  the  1 2th  took  a  carriage  and  four,  for  three  days' 
drive  along  the  Western  Riviera,  from  Genoa  to  Men- 
tone.  Adolph  writes,  exultant:  "Here  at  last  is  the 
real,  old,  comfortable  style  of  travelling,  with  one's  own 
driver,  one's  own  carriage,  and  such  a  gay  team !" 

The  journey  was  indescribably  beautiful,  and  the 
scenery  changed  continually  as  the  road  descended  to 
the  sea,  or  climbed  among  the  foot-hills,  to  give  them 
new  glimpses  of  Genoa.  Sometimes  it  wound  along 
steep  precipices,  where  one  false  step  would  have  cost 
the  lives  of  the  whole  party,  sometimes  it  passed  groups 
of  laughing  children,  of  fishermen  drying  their  nets,  of 
women  with  skirts  tucked  up,  wading  in  the  clear  water 
to  catch  crabs.     The  vegetation,  becoming  more   and 


EASTER  IN  MENTONE  53 

more  tropical  as  they  approached  the  frontier,  was  par- 
ticularly interesting  to  Adolph,  and  when,  on  the  last 
day,  palm  trees  mingled  with  olive  and  orange  groves, 
his  delight  was  unbounded.  These  three  perfect  days, 
spent  under  the  open  sky  in  the  most  beautiful  part  of 
Europe,  were  the  fitting  close  to  the  wonderful  Italian 
journey.* 

From  the  middle  of  February  until  the  last  of  April 
Adolph  remained  in  Mentone,  his  duties  resolving  them- 
selves more  and  more  into  long  walks  with  Lucien, 
gathering  the  loveliest  spring  flowers,  fishing,  sailing, 
rowing,  donkey  rides,  and  picnics  among  the  ruins  of 
ancient  castles.  Palm  Sunday  and  Holy  Week  were 
celebrated  with  great  ceremony,  but  largely  taken  by 
the  populace  as  an  entertainment;  long  processions  of 
church  dignitaries,  and  noisy  imitations  of  the  crowing 
cock  by  the  street  gamins ;  the  dead  Christ  borne  through 
the  town  on  a  bier,  and  bagpipes  screeching  before  the 
door.  For  his  own  spiritual  use  Adolph  had  less  than 
nothing.  "The  Easter  bells  which  once  saved  Faust 
from  despair,  brought  me  to  the  verge  of  desperation, 
beginning  so  early  and  ringing  most  of  the  night." 

They  made  a  short  stay  in  Nice,  Toulon,  and 
Marseilles.  Approaching  Lyons  the  beech  woods  and 
vineyards  were  to  Adolph  welcome  messengers  from 
home,  and  in  the  Hotel  de  Lyon  they  found  "supreme 
comfort,  and — everything  German!"  Through  Geneva 
to  Vevey  for  a  fortnight,  through  Lausanne,  Basel, 
meeting  his  sister  there,  and  over  the  Rhine  into  Ger- 
many, where  the  language  was  spoken  "with  a  German 
accent,"  through  Freiberg  and  Baden,  they  travelled  into 
Wuerttemberg  with  its  familiar  comfortable  cars.    "How 

*In  1887  an  interesting  series  of  Letters  from  Venice  appeared 
in  the  Kirchenblatt.  These  had  been  put  together  from  Mr. 
Spaeth's  Diary  at  the  request  of  a  German  periodical,  during  his 
winter  in   Scotland,  but  had  never  been  published. 


54  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— ITALY 

my  heart  throbbed,  when,  after  the  Rosenstein  tunnel, 
my  lovely  Neckar  valley  revealed  itself,  as  Cannstatt, 
Unter-and  Obertuerkheim  flew  quickly  past,  and  now 
the  dear  old  Frauenkirchthurm  greeted  me  from  its 
height!  Adieu  Venice!  Genoa!  Nice!  Adieu,  rich  and 
beautiful  world!     Home  is  most  beautiful  of  all!" 

For  a  while  the  travellers  settled  in  Lichtenthal  near 
Baden-Baden,  where  Adolph  became  acquainted  with 
Dr.  Mallet  *  of  Bremen,  with  whom  he  spent  many 
happy  hours,  and  whom  he  revered  for  the  rest  of  his 
life.  His  engagement  as  tutor  was  closed,  and  he  was 
thinking  of  returning  home,  when  he  heard  that  Dr. 
Duncan  was  about  to  visit  Bohemia,  accompanied  by 
his  daughter,  who  intended  to  take  the  cure  in  Karlsbad 
for  several  weeks,  after  which  they  would  spend  a  fort- 
night in  Esslingen.  His  first  thought  was  to  avoid 
meeting  her,  and  he  tried  to  find  a  position  in  Switzer- 
land which  would  have  kept  him  at  a  safe  distance  for 
the  summer.     But  this  was  not  to  be,  and  after  visiting 

♦"Pastor  Friedrich  Ludwig  Mallet  (1792-1865)  Doctor  of 
Theology  and  Pastor  Primarius  of  St.  Stephan's  in  Bremen,  was 
one  of  the  distinguished  men,  my  acquaintance  with  whom  has 
cast  sunshine  on  my  path  through  life.  He  was  an  original,  bril- 
liant preacher,  always  ready  to  give  battle  for  the  Gospel ;  a  patriot 
filled  with  burning  love  for  his  German  Fatherland,  and  with  joy- 
ful hope  for  its  future;  possessing  withal  a  healthy,  happy  Chris- 
tian spirit,  a  childlike  appreciation  for  the  beautiful,  the  good, 
the  true,  wherever  they  were  found, — an  unusually  magnetic  per- 
sonality. At  the  time  of  the  Napoleonic  war  he  had  been  a  student 
in   Tuebingen,   and   had  joined   the    Nassau   Battalion,   with   which 

he  crossed  the  Rhine Wherever  he  went  he   drew 

to  himself  the  interest  and  affection  of  kindred  spirits 

To  the  young  Wuerttemberg  Candidate  he  was  most  kind,  and  in 
parting,  after  several  weeks  of  loveliest  intercourse,  gave  him  a 
warm,  paternal  kiss.  He  continued  to  write  to  me  in  Philadelphia, 
and  sent  me  several  of  his  sermons  on  important  occasions,  such 
as  the  Jubilee  of  the  battle  of  Leipzig,  October  18,  1863.  He  died 
May  6,  1865." — (Ms.  note  to  a  poem  written  by  A.  S.  to  Dr.  Mallet 
in  Lichtenthal.) 


VIKAR  IN  GROETZINGEN  55 

his  friend  Eckstein  for  a  few  weeks  at  his  home  in 
Giessen,  he  accepted  a  call  as  Vikar  in  Groetzingen,  not 
far  away  from  Esslingen.  Scarcely  was  he  settled  there, 
when  the  eagerly  expected  guests  arrived,  on  the  8th  of 
August,  and  he  found  time  not  only  to  receive  them,  but 
to  make  almost  daily  visits  home.  When  they  left,  he, 
at  least,  knew  that  it  was  to  be  a  short  parting,  with 
"auf  Wiedersehen"  in  Edinburgh. 

Miss  Duncan  wrote  to  a  friend  in  Edinburgh:  "You 
ask  about  A.  He  is  now  considerably  better,  though 
not  very  strong  and  as  yet  scarcely  able  for  the  some- 
what strenuous  duty  of  a  'Vikar.'  The  day  before 
we  left  Esslingen  a  letter  came  to  Mutterle  from  a 
German  minister  *  who  had  been  requested  to  look  out 
for  a  theological  student  or  young  minister,  who  would 
be  willing  to  go  for  a  year  or  two  to  Scotland  as  tutor 
in  the  Duke  of  Argyle's  family,  f  He  wrote  to  ask  if 
Adolph  could  go.  He,  however,  was  already  in  a  new 
charge,  and,  besides,  was  doubtful  of  getting  leave  of 
absence  from  the  Church.  Since  we  left,  however,  I 
hear  it  is  most  probable  that  he  will  obtain  this  leave 
and  come.  .  .  As  you  seem  to  take  such  an  interest 
in  him  I  have  given  you  this  lengthy  account,  which 
I  hope  may  satisfy  you." 

The  final  acceptance  of  this  offer  was  delayed  by  the 
slowness  of  the  Consistorium  in  issuing  the  necessary 
leave  of  absence,  which  involved  more  or  less  red  tape. 
Even  after  all  the  preliminaries  seemed  to  be  arranged, 
Lord  B.  wrote  to  Pastor  Schmid  in  great  consternation. 
He  had  received  a  letter  from  young  Spaeth  written  in 
German,  from  which  he  inferred  that  he  knew  no  Eng- 
lish, and  would  not  do  at  all!     Whereupon  the  Herr 

*  Stadtpfarrer  Rudolf  Schmid,  later  Praelat  of  Heilbron,  who 
was  tutor  in  the  Duke  of  Argyle's  family,  1854-58. 

t  Not  immediately.  His  first  position  was  with  relatives  of  the 
Duchess. 


56  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— SCOTLAND 

Vikar  was  requested  to  write  an  English  letter  as  sample, 
and  though  it  must  have  cost  him  great  effort,  for  at 
that  time  he  knew  almost  nothing  of  the  language,  he 
succeeded  in  reassuring  his  Lordship. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  Adolph  was  to  begin  his 
work  in  Karlsbad,  travel  for  a  while  with  the  only  son 
of  Lord  B.,  and  then  go  on  to  Scotland.  On  the  ioth 
of  October  he  took  leave  of  the  dear  home  which  he  was 
destined  not  to  see  again  for  years,  and  three  days  later 
reached  Karlsbad,  having  enjoyed  one  day  in  Nurem- 
berg on  the  way.  His  Lordship  was  very  kind,  "but 
how  often  could  I  only  respond  to  his  friendly  questions, 
with  my  stupid  'How  do  you  mean  ?'  "  He  writes : 
"Only  the  fourth  day,  and  how  long  it  seems  already! 
My  life  here  is  very  curious;  today  one  lesson,  and  my 
own  master  the  rest  of  the  time.  .  .  Without  being 
homesick  I  find  this  loneliness  singularly  oppressive. 
His  Lordship  is  fine  and  friendly  as  ever,  but  I  cannot 
rid  myself  of  the  constantly  recurring  thought  that  I 
shall  not  remain  long,  and  that  we  shall  never  under- 
stand each  other,  i.  e.,  in  speech.  The  solution  is  so 
simple:  practice  English  all  day  long.  Oh,  yes,  if  I 
only  had  some  one  with  whom  I  could  converse !  .  .  . 
If  my  pupil  would  come  to  me  more  regularly,  I  should 
certainly  make  better  progress.     .     .     ." 

But  the  pupil  was  homesick,  and  being  a  delicate  and 
much  indulged  boy,  decided  suddenly  to  go  back  to 
Scotland  instead  of  to  Berlin  as  planned,  and  on  the 
2 ist  of  October  the  two  set  off  together  for  London 
where  Adolph  was  kindly  received  by  Lady  B.  He  saw 
something  of  the  great  city,  but  was  cheated  at  every 
point.  "I  am  still  far  too  goodnatured  and  guileless 
for  London!" 

In  Scotland  he  made  good  progress  in  English,  de- 
lighted after  one  week,  that  he  understood  an  English 
sermon  fairly  well,  though  he  had  not  yet  enough  of  the 


NOVEL    EXPERIENCES  57 

language  to  make  him  feel  at  ease  in  his  strange  sur- 
roundings. The  hopeless  task  of  teaching  an  unwilling 
pupil  was  relieved  by  mornings  spent  in  rabbit  stalking, 
which  he  enjoyed  because  it  took  him  into  the  fresh  and 
invigorating  air.  It  was  very  seldom  that  anything  ser- 
ious happened  to  the  rabbit,  an  outcome  with  which  both 
he  and  Adolph  were  entirely  satisfied.  In  November  he 
writes:  "Yesterday,  in  a  pouring  rain,  across  the  Clyde 
with  the  oxen,  to  fetch  a  load  of  wood!  If  such  forced 
marches  do  not  make  me  sick — and,  thank  God,  so  far 
that  is  not  the  case, — they  must  harden  my  health  and 
strength!  .  .  .  This  morning  for  the  third  time  in 
the  adjacent  Scotch  church,  a  simple,  pretty  building 
with  one  of  those  flat  towers  so  common  in  England, 
more  suitable  for  barracks  than  for  the  house  of  God, 
to  which  they  give  a  certain  defiant,  warlike  character 

.  .  toned  down  here,  however,  by  the  rich  ivy, 
covering  the  walls  and  pillars  and  windows  up  to  the 
roof.  The  interior  of  the  church,  like  the  service,  is 
as  simple  as  possible  ....  organ  and  altar  are 
wanting.  The  place  of  the  former  is  filled  by  a  tailor, 
with  a  powerful,  though  uncultivated  voice,  who  bravely 
leads  the  national  psalmody." 

His  presentiment  was  fulfilled.  Apparently  by  an 
arrangement  between  the  two  noble  families,  he  was 
transferred  to  that  of  the  Duke  of  Argyle,  and  it  was 
a  great  relief  to  him  when,  on  the  21st  of  November, 
Lord  Archibald  Campbell  arrived,  to  conduct  him  to 
his  new  position  in  Roseneath  and  Inveraray.  Two 
days  were  spent  in  Edinburgh,  and  then,  on  to  Rose- 
neath. He  found  Lord  Archibald  a  handsome,  clever 
gentleman  of  seventeen  years,  speaking  German  very 
well,  so  there  was  no  lack  of  conversation.  The  situa- 
tion of  Roseneath  is  thus  described  by  Praelat  Schmid 
in  an  article:  Reiseerinnerungen  aus  den  westl.  Hoch- 
land  von  Schottland.     "My  first  point  was  the  peninsula 


58  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— SCOTLAND 

Roseneath,  erroniously  called  an  island  in  Scott's  'Heart 
of  Midlothian.'  At  Glasgow  the  Clyde  is  still  a  river, 
though  navigable  for  ocean  steamers.  .  .  Gradually 
it  widens  to  a  bay,  called  Firth,  and  from  it,  opposite 
Greenock  a  smaller  bay  branches,  Gare  Loch.  Between 
the  Firth  of  Clyde  and  Gare  Loch  lies  the  indescribably 
beautiful  peninsula  Roseneath.  .  .  .  This  peninsula 
is  already  a  foreshadowing  of  the  Highlands;  its  hills 
exhale  their  fragrance  and  bear  the  stamp  of  their 
solemnity,  while  lower  down,  the  villa-strewn  shores  of 
the  bay  form  a  charming  landscape.  .  .  .  Here  the 
influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream  shows  itself  in  the  magnifi- 
cent trees,  not  even  equalled  in  the  lower  Alps,  and  its 
warmth  and  humidity  cause  an  astonishing  growth  in 
all  vegetation.  .  .  The  climate  is  so  mild  in  winter 
that  fuchsias  grow  wild."  In  this  lovely  spot  Adolph 
found  himself  much  more  comfortable  than  he 
had  been  for  some  time.  The  beautiful  home  life,  the 
regular  family  worship,  the  genuineness  of  it  all,  im- 
pressed him  deeply.  And  to  the  great  natural  beauty 
of  Roseneath,  which  he  never  tires  of  describing,  was 
added  an  utter  peace  very  soothing  to  him.  Un- 
doubtedly much  of  his  satisfaction  was  due  to  the  fact 
that  his  tongue  was  loosed  after  the  restraint  of  the  past 
weeks.  "What  a  different  man  one  is,  when  he  can 
speak  his  own  language,  can  pour  out  his  thoughts  as 
they  rise  and  grow,  and  not  mere  words,  which  one 
allows  to  tinkle  now  and  then,  in  order  to  call  attention 
to  himself  or  for  practice." 

On  the  26th  of  November,  Lord  Archibald  and 
Adolph  left  Roseneath,  taking  a  steamer  up  the  Bay. 
The  water  was  rough,  and  the  vessel  very  unsteady, 
owing  to  its  light  cargo.  Adolph  had  to  learn  to  balance 
himself,  but  enjoyed  the  trip,  finding  in  the  disturbed 
water  something  new  and  grand,  rather  than  dangerous. 
Gradually  the  Bay  narrowed  to  Loch  Goil,  and  they 


LIFE  IN   THE  HIGHLANDS  59 

began  to  see  the  Highlands,  wild  peaks  covered  only 
with  heather  and  low  growth,  or  bare  rocks  under  which 
the  rough  water  dashed,  as  the  steamer  slowly  made 
its  way  along  the  shore.  Innumerable  cascades,  large 
and  small,  enlivened  the  scene.  In  Lochgoil  Head  they 
took  the  stage  for  the  next  part  of  the  journey,  through 
wild  mountain  scenery  with  no  vestige  of  life  except 
the  grazing  sheep  and  goats,  but  always  with  the  rustling 
of  the  water-falls.  After  two  hours  they  reached  the 
top,  and  saw  Loch  Fyne  spread  out  before  them,  with 
its  frame  of  beautiful  wooded  hills,  and  across  it  In- 
veraray and  the  black  castle.  The  descent  took  them 
through  a  real  Highland  village,  where  his  attention 
was  drawn  to  the  primitive  houses,  made  of  stones  piled 
together,  instead  of  being  laid  in  walls,  and  then  covered 
with  earth  and  straw.  Once  more  they  took  a  steamer, 
which  carried  them  across  Loch  Fyne,  and  at  the  landing 
they  were  met  by  Lord  Lome  and  the  younger  brothers 
Walter  and  Colin.  Adolph  was  received  most  cordially, 
and  after  dinner,  so  happy  was  he,  that  he  "hammered 
away  on  the  grand  piano  one  piece  after  another  for 
his  unmusical  but  music-thirsty  young  lords — in  short, 
it  was  all  right,"  and  his  vague  fears  of  another  disap- 
pointment were  dispersed. 

His  life  at  once  became  full  of  work  and  interest. 
Lord  Lome,  six  years  younger  than  he,  was  rather  a 
friend  than  a  pupil,  with  whom  he  only  read  German 
and  from  whom  he  received  many  kindly  hints  as  to 
English  conventionalities,  besides  valuable  suggestions 
in  his  English  reading  and  translating,  and  friendly 
encouragement  in  all  the  manly  exercises,  skating,  rid- 
ing, rowing,  hunting,  and  tremendously  long  walks  to 
which  the  sturdy  young  Campbells  were  much  addicted. 
"Herr  Spaeth"  shared  his  responsibilities  with  the 
English  tutor,  Mr.  Arthur,  a  young  Anglican  clergyman, 
with    whom    his    relations    were    very    pleasant.      Mr. 


60  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— SCOTLAND 

Arthur,  being  much  annoyed  by  the  ease  with  which 
the  little  boys  planned  their  mischief  under  his  very 
eye,  by  speaking  German  which  he  did  not  understand, 
arranged  for  an  exchange  of  language  lessons  with  his 
colleague,  so  that  Adolph's  progress  in  English  was 
rapid.  He  soon  began  to  translate  Longfellow's 
Evangeline,  turning  it  into  German  hexametres. 

After  a  few  weeks  in  the  wild  and  wonderfully  in- 
teresting surroundings  of  Inveraray,  where  the  very  air 
was  saturated  with  the  history  of  brave,  but  often  ill- 
fated  Argyles,*  the  boys  with  their  tutors,  returned  to 
Roseneath  for  the  Christmas  holidays.  Herr  Spaeth 
was  encouraged  by  the  Duchess  to  visit  Edinburgh  over 
Christmas,  and  spent  several  days  there.  "Edinburgh, 
December  24,  1863.  So  this  is  where  my  Diary  is  dated 
on  Christmas  Eve!  Could  I  have  dreamed  of  such  a 
thing  one  year  ago,  as  I  took  my  lonely  midnight  walk 
in  Venice !  The  last  few  days,  with  the  preparations  for 
the  tree  at  Roseneath,  have  been  at  least  a  reminder  of 
all  the  Christmas  doings  at  home."  Late  in  the  after- 
noon he  had  reached  Dr.  Duncan's  house  in  Buccleuch 
Place.  "How  kindly  I  was  received  again,  by  everyone ! 
How  lovely  Mia  was  this  evening!  But  when  is  she 
not!"  On  Christmas  morning  they  attended  service 
together  in  the  German  chapel,  f  "My  offer  to  preach 
there  came  too  late.  I  should  have  been  very  glad  to  do 
so."    The  holidays  were  a  round  of  breakfasts,  teas  and 

*  At  Inveraray  was  a  book  of  family  portraits.  That  of  the  Mar- 
quis of  Argyle,  beheaded  in  1661,  was  framed  in  drops  of  blood 
which  had  been  allowed  to  drip  from  his  head ! 

t  An  article  in  the  Zeitschrift,  November  i,  1879,  noticed  the  lay- 
ing of  the  corner  stone  of  this  first  German  church  in  Scotland, 
after  the  congregation  had  existed  for  eighteen  years,  holding  ser- 
vice in  a  hall.  The  pastor,  Herr  Blumenreich,  mentioned  fre- 
quently in  the  Diary  of  A.  S.,  was  a  converted  Jew,  which  probably 
accounts  for  Dr.  Duncan's  interest  in  his  work.  The  confessional 
position  of  the  congregation  was  that  of  the  Prussian  Union. 


THE  WESTMINSTER  CONFESSION  61 

visits  in  the  hospitable  homes  of  Dr.  Duncan's  friends, 
many  of  whom  knew  of  Adolph's  aspirations,  and  sym- 
pathized with  the  shy  young  foreigner. 

We  may  refer  briefly  to  a  subject  which,  at  this  time, 
was  causing  Adolph  great  disturbance  and  perplexity. 
The  dreams  of  his  future  which  had  seemed  so  like 
realities  in  Esslingen,  had  vanished,  and  in  place  of 
them  he  was  confronted  with  the — Westminster  Con- 
fession! When  he  asked  Dr.  Duncan  formally  for  his 
daughter's  hand,  the  tender  hearted  but  sternly  righteous 
old  man  wrote  to  him,  November  16,  1863:  "In  my 
last  I  gave  expression  to  the  feeling  of  peculiar  interest 
which  I  must  ever  have  in  one  who  has  honored  my 
child  by  bestowing  on  her  his  affection.  But  when  as  a 
father,  I  am  appealed  to,  I  find  it  a  matter  of  extreme 
difficulty  to  give  an  answer.  ...  I  would  not  like 
my  daughter  to  become  a  German  nor  a  Lutheran.  Let 
me  not  be  misunderstood.  To  Martin  Luther,  as  an 
honored  instrument  of  God,  we  are  glad  to  acknowledge 
our  great  obligations,  and  in  the  Lutheran  Church  Christ 
has  many  faithful  ministers  and  believing  people, — 
may  their  number  be  greatly  increased,  and  grace,  mercy 
and  peace  multiplied  to  them  all.  But  besides  doctrinal 
differences  there  are  others,  liturgical  and  governmental, 
which  I  do  not  deem  matters  of  indifference  or  of  only 
small  importance,  whatever  they  may  be,  if  compared 
with  the  primary  and  fundamental  verities  of  our  holy 
faith.  When  I  say  I  would  not  like  my  daughter  to  be 
a  German,  I  own  that  I  would  not  so  deeply  regret  that 
she  should  be  the  wife  of  a  German  Reformed  pastor, — 
tho'  there  are  things  which  I  do  not  like  in  the 
Reformed  Churches  of  the  continent. 

"But  to  express  my  mind  without  reserve,  would  the 
matter  have  (I  say  not  my  bare  consent,  but)  my  full 
and  cordial  concurrence:  .  .  if  upon  serious  prayer- 
ful study  of  the  Westminster  Confession  of  faith,  com- 


62  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— SCOTLAND 

paring  it  with  the  Word  of  God — the  only  rule  of  faith 
and  duty — you  were  ready  to  declare  your  bona  fide 
consent  to  it;  and  if  you  were  ready  to  cast  in  your  lot 
with  us  and  become  a  minister  of  our  Free  Church, 
which,  if  other  impediments  were  out  of  the  way,  I 
feel  confident  that  want  of  English,  with  your  talents 
and  opportunities  duly  improved  need  not  prevent." 

Not  only  the  Confession  but  the  Catechism  and  the 
lives  of  many  heroes  of  the  Scottish  Church  were  read 
by  Adolph  after  receiving  this  letter.  Often,  in  com- 
parison with  the  Word,  the  Rule  of  Faith,  the  Confession 
did  not  seem  to  him  to  be  confirmed;  cf.  II  Peter  2:  1, 
I  John  2:  2,  for  example.  After  a  very  earnest  dis- 
cussion with  Dr.  Duncan  "de  Regenerationi"  he  writes 
in  despair:  "Theoretically  I  can  often  well  understand 
it  and  appreciate  it, — but  practically,  practically!  What 
then  shall  I  preach  to  my  people?"  His  faithful  friend 
Karl  Hole  wrote  to  him  about  this  time:  "Theological 
disputations,  even  for  the  theologian  are  not  the  way  to 
salvation;  and  the  English"  (by  which  he  means  those 
who  speak  that  language)  "so  stubborn  in  confessional 
matters,  are  not  good  Christians  because  they  cling  so 
tenaciously  to  their  own  opinions,  but,  in  spite  of  that, 
when  they  acknowledge  that  to  love  Christ  is  a  thousand 
times  better  than  to  accept  the  Calvinistic  system.  .  . 
For  Calvin's  theology  and  piety  I  have  all  respect,  but 
as  Reformer  he  cannot  hold  a  candle  to  our  Luther.  As 
Reformer  Luther  showed  that  he  had  hit  the  nail  on 
the  head  in  that  he  did  not  first  require  a  long  mental 
process  in  order  to  be  sure  of  his  faith,  but  frankly  laid 
hold  on  it  and,  like  a  happy  child,  held  fast  to  the  revela- 
tion of  divine  mystery,  to  the  incarnate  Word,  and  to 
the  personal  Christ,  as  He  offers  us  His  grace  and  truth 
in  Word  and  Sacrament.  Faith  in  Christ  bears  in  itself 
its  assurance  and  guarantee,  without  investigating  our 
own  progress  in  sanctification,  or  the  hidden  Will  of 


LUTHERAN  AND  CALVINIST  63 

God.  It  is  satisfied  with  that  grace  which  is  sufficient 
for  us.  .  .  .  Follow  the  impulse  of  your  own  heart, 
dear  friend,  study  the  Scriptures  and  the  Lutheran  Con- 
fessions earnestly,  so  the  truth  shall  make  you  free,  and 
lift  you  up  from  the  tormenting  legality  *  ^  of  the 
Calvinist,  to  the  joy  of  the  children  of  God,  in  truth 
and  love." 

In  the  course  of  his  reading  he  came  across  the  story 
of  a  minister  who  had  been  turned  out  of  his  parish 
for  preaching  the  love  of  God  for  every  child  of  Adam, 
and  that  Christ  died  for  every  man.  For  such  views 
the  Presbytery  "recorded  their  detestation  and  abhor- 
rence." Adolph  adds:  "To  a  Confession  of  Faith, 
that  can  be  used  as  the  authority  for  such  procedure  I 
can  never  subscribe !"  While  Adolph  was  seeking  light 
Dr.  Duncan  wrote,  in  answer  to  a  letter  from  Roseneath: 
-The  human  mind  is  always  prone  to  run  into  extremes. 
When  aroused  from  sloth,  we  are  apt  to  run  into  pre- 
cipitancy. .  .  .  God  indeed  can,  if  He  please,  flood 
your  mind  with  light,  but  He  can  also  make  your  path 
as  the  shining  light,  which  'shineth  more  and  more  unto 
the  perfect  day.'  The  last  is  most  commonly  His  way ; 
but  we  must  not  venture  to  prescribe  to  Him.  . 
Wait  upon  the  Lord  and  He  will  make  your  way  plain. 
Hold  fast  what  you  have  already  learned  of  Him,  and 
pray  for  more,  study  for  more,  and  act  for  more.  .  . 
He  can  make  the  little  time  which  you  have  to  yourself 
exceedingly   fruitful.     Remember  leaven  and  mustard 

*  A  touching  scene  is  described  in  the  Life  of  Dr.  Duncan  (Dr. 
David  Brown,  Edinburgh,  1872.)  When  his  first  wife,  a  most  de- 
voted and  consistent  Christian,  was  dying,  he  "wandered  in  and 
out  of  the  room,  constantly  repeating  passages  of  Scripture,  and 
praying  often.  Once  he  quoted  'Thine  eyes  shall  see  the  King  in 
His  beauty,'  when  he  went  out  weeping,  saying:  'Your  eyes  shall 
soon  see  Him,  dearie.'  Next  day,  however,  he  would  not  say  he 
was  sure  she  was  in  heaven." 


64  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— SCOTLAND 

seed.  Be  diligent,  but  be  patient,  be  humble,  be  confid- 
ing." 

Undoubtedly  this  earnest  study  under  the  direction  of 
Dr.  Duncan,  while  it  did  not  lead  to  the  result  for  which 
the  old  gentleman  hoped,  did  serve  to  fix  Adolph's  relig- 
ious convictions,  and  to  give  to  his  character  the  stability 
it  had  lacked.  His  mother  wrote  to  Maria  a  few 
months  later:  "I  recognize  that  the  Spirit  of  God  has 
been  working  mightily  on  Adolph  during  his  stay  in 
Scotland.  He  is  so  happy  that  the  Lord  has  shown 
him  the  answer  to  the  chief  question  of  his  heart:  What 
shall  I  do  to  be  saved?  .  .  .  Your  dear  Papa  is 
surely  happy  also,  over  Adolph's  development,  in  which 
he  too  has  been  an  instrument." 

Another  valuable  result  of  this  theological  conflict 
was,  that  it  brought  him  to  a  clearer  understanding  of 
Miss  Duncan's  position.  She  had  written:  "I  love  my 
own  country,  my  own  home,  my  own  countrymen  so 
much,  that  I  feel  it  would  need  particularly  strong  love 
to  make  the  sacrifice  of  giving  them  all  up  to  one  of 
another  nation."  Adolph  acknowledges  "that  is  as 
natural  and  true  as  anything  could  be,  and  the  more  I 
learn  of  Scotland  and  the  Scotch,  the  better  I  understand 
those  words.  My  great  fault  was  that  I  did  not  sooner 
try  frankly  to  put  myself  in  her  place.  How  would  it 
be  if  I  were  now  called  to  make  this  sacrifice  for  her? 
Would  blind  love  silence  the  voice  of  criticism  and  of 
conscience?  No  indeed!  For  I  know  that  if  I  should 
give  up  everything  else,  my  conviction  I  could  not 
sacrifice.  That  is,  I  cannot  subscribe  to  the  Westminster 
Confession.  .  .  .  So,  come  what  may,  be  impartial, 
Alter;  and  look  the  thing  in  the  face,  if  she,  whom  you 
love,  cannot  do  that  which  you,  with  all  your  love, 
would  not  do." 

For  some  months  Adolph's  health  and  spirits  had 
suffered  under  the  combination  of  his  own  unhappiness, 


DREARY   DAYS  65 

his  theological  conflicts,  the  war  and  political  disturb- 
ances in  Germany,  and  the  Scotch  fog!  Of  the  article 
in  the  Confession,  God's  Eternal  Decree,  he  writes:  "I 
see  no  way  out,  nor  how  I  shall  ever  get  this  matter 
cleared  up;  often  everything  seems  turning  round  me, 
in  a  circle!"  Receiving  a  copy  of  Dr.  Mallet's  address 
on  the  Leipzig  anniversary,  October  18th:  "How  good 
it  was  for  me  to  read  these  strong,  earnest  German  words 
here,  where  every  day,  in  the  English  papers,  I  see 
nothing  but  antipathy  to  our  German  interests !  .  .  . 
Poor  Germany!  Has  she  not  yet  reached  the  end  of 
her  humiliation  and  mockery?  Is  the  cup  of  her  sorrow 
not  yet  emptied?  I  do  not  know  how  I  can  help,  nor 
what  I  would  do  if  I  were  at  home,  but  in  such  critical 
moments  I  seem  to  feel  the  separation  from  Fatherland 
most  bitterly."  Again:  "What  a  whimsical  weather- 
cock I  am!  Today  the  fog  has  lifted  at  last,  and  my 
heart  is  light  as  it  has  not  been  for  a  long  time."  Later: 
"A  dreary  day,  but  the  weather  shall  no  longer  disturb 
the  balance  of  my  mind.  ...  I  believe  it  is  rather 
childish  and  weak  not  to  emancipate  oneself  better  from 
outside  influences." 

Meanwhile,  on  this  sombre  background  played  the 
lights  and  shadows  of  life  at  Roseneath  for  a  few  weeks 
longer.  Changes  had  been  made  in  the  plans  for  edu- 
cating the  boys.  Archie  was  to  go  to  Bonn  after  Easter, 
and  on  the  12th  of  March,  very  courteously  and  kindly, 
the  Duchess  told  Adolph  that  his  services  were  no  longer 
needed.  "If  I  thought  only  of  the  drudgery  of  teaching, 
I  could  make  light  of  it,  could  even  be  glad  to  get  rid 
of  this  bondage;  but  so  many  plans  for  work  which  I 
was  just  about  to  take  up,  come  to  nothing."  In  Italy 
he  had  written :     "My  old  friend  Kastendax  *  wrote  me 

*  Pastor  Emil  Wagner,  who  had  been  tutor  under  rather  un- 
usually pleasant  conditions.  "So  you  are  lusting  after  the  flesh- 
pots  of  R.?    It  is  not  at  all  bad  in  my  nest  here;  in  this  unctuous 


66  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— SCOTLAND 

once,  'the  position  of  a  tutor  is  after  all  only  a  glittering 
misery' — I  wonder  if  there  is  any  truth  in  it?"  About 
the  same  period  he  had  comforted  himself  for  some 
lack  of  consideration:  "Is  it  necessary  for  you,  every- 
where, to  sit  as  warm  as  toast  in  your  Swabian  comfort  ? 
That  you  could  have  at  home  in  Wuerttemberg.  But 
in  that  case  one  stays  at  home, — and  sees  nothing  of  the 
world." 

Hole  writes:  "Surprises  and  wonderful  transforma- 
tions seem  to  come  naturally  in  your  career.  Therefore 
this  latest  turn  in  your  fate  has  not  specially  excited 
me;  it  was  to  be  expected  from  the  very  beginning,  at 
least  under  the  circumstances  which  seem  actually  to 
have  arisen — that  you  would  not  be  able,  with  your 
entire  energy  and  endurance,  to  give  yourself  up  utterly 
to  the  instruction  and  entertainment  of  your  pupils,  as 
your  English  patrons  seem  to  have  wished.  I  do  not 
consider  it  a  misfortune  that  this  pleasant  connection  is 
broken  off  again  so  soon;  you  have  not  been  in  your 
element.  But,  what  next  ?  .  .  .  I  can  perfectly  well 
put  myself  in  your  place;  free  as  a  bird,  you  can  decide 
upon  any  course,  and  on  the  other  hand  can  decide  upon 
nothing  because  you  have  no  clear  indication  from 
above." 

During  his  few  remaining  weeks  Adolph  used  every 
opportunity  to  learn  more  of  Scotland,  of  its  customs 
and  scenery.  The  observance  of  Holy  Week  which  had 
so  shocked  him  the  year  before  in  Mentone,  pleased  him 
no  better  in  Scotland;  rabbit  hunting  with  ferrets  on 
Thursday,  and  Good  Friday  ignored.  He  went  with 
Mr.  Arthur  to  the  Episcopal  church,  "at  least  to  be  in  a 

atmosphere  of  friendliness  the  heart  is  inclined  to  expand  like  a 
steamed  dumpling.  .  .  .  but  you  must  first  become  much  more  quiet 
and  steady.  The  position  of  tutor  can  be  a  glittering— misery, 
according  to  how  well  one  understands  what  is  required  in  this 
peculiar  life." 


ROSENEATH  67 

church,"  but  the  long  liturgy  tired  him.  "It  is  right 
pretty,  and  certainly  compiled  with  taste,  but  I  would 
not  like  it  every  Sunday!"  Lord  Lome  spoke  with 
regret  of  his  approaching  departure,  and  advised  him 
before  leaving  the  Highlands  to  see  Iona  and  Staffa, 
offering  him  the  use  of  a  small  lodge  on  the  Island  of 
Mull,  belonging  to  the  Duke.  Adolph  had  already 
planned  this  trip,  but  was  obliged  to  give  it  up. 

At  the  end  of  April  he  had  not  the  slightest  idea 
what  his  next  step  would  be.  "Often  I  cannot  under- 
stand myself  how  I  can  be  so  quiet  and  free  from  care 
as  to  my  future.  The  thought  of  parting  often  weighs 
very  heavily.  O  Scotland,  how  beautiful,  how  lovely 
thou  art!"  After  the  Christmas  holidays  Adolph  had 
not  returned  to  Inveraray,  but  the  great  natural  beauty 
and  diversity  of  his  surroundings  in  Roseneath  appealed 
to  him  more  and  more,  especially  the  curious  play  of 
light  in  which  Scotland  is  so  rich.  After  a  storm  he 
notes  the  peculiar  light  in  the  clouds  and  on  the  Loch 
as  very  wonderful,  the  violet  color  in  the  air  contrasting 
with  the  dark  grey  water,  and  the  white-capped  waves. 
Much  time  was  spent  on  the  Loch,  sometimes  rowing 
with  his  young  pupils,  whose  oars  followed  the  rhythm 
of  his  singing;  sometimes  alone  in  the  light  mahogany 
boat,  rowing  or  letting  the  rippling  waves  carry  him 
along  the  shore  of  the  peninsula,  quite  undisturbed  by 
any  sign  of  life  except  a  gull  now  and  then,  floating 
in  the  clear  sky  above  him,  or  a  passing  steamer,  the 
waves  in  whose  wake  gently  rocked  his  "nutshell"  long 
a  f ter  it  had  gone  by. 

The  Diary  tells  how,  one  winter  night,  the  moonlight 
tempted  them,  and,  toward  midnight,  he,  with  Archie 
and  Walter  went  out  through  the  woods  to  Green  Isle. 
The  sharp  shadows;  the  reflection  of  the  trees  on  the 
frozen  surface  of  the  fish  pond;  the  soft  motion  of  the 
incoming  tide  on  the  Loch ;  the  rustling  through  the  dry 


68  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— SCOTLAND 

leaves,  of  some  wild  thing  disturbed  in  its  rest;  flocks 
of  ravens  and  crows  which  flew  screaming  from  tree  to 
tree ;  the  call  of  the  wild  ducks  along  the  shore,  answered 
by  the  whistle  of  the  curlew  or  the  melancholy  Uhu ! 
of  the  owl,  made  a  deep  impression  on  him. 

On  the  1 8th  of  May  he  left  Roseneath.  In  the  morn- 
ing Lord  Lome  brought  him  a  fine  set  of  English  Poets, 

Scott,  Byron,  Milton  and  Tennyson "My 

retrospect  of  the  time  spent  in  the  Argyle  family  must 
fill  me  with  deepest  gratitude  toward  Him  who  directed 
my  steps. hither.  Apart  from  the  interesting  picture  of 
life  in  this  old,  noble  family,  typically  Scotch,  and  bear- 
ing the  impress  of  a  certain  patriarchal  charm,  down 
to  the  old  gardeners  and  boatmen,  Matthew  Bell,  Sandy, 
Chalmers  and  Duncan  Revy — the  castle  library,  and 
the  friendliness  with  which  I  was  always  treated,  opened 
to  me  a  rich  treasure,  which  extended  my  knowledge 
in  many  directions,  and  greatly  facilitated  my  researches 
in  Scottish  life,  feeling  and  thought.  .  .  .  My  heart 
is  full  of  thanksgiving  for  all  the  love  and  kindness 
which  I  have  enjoyed  here,  especially  from  Lord  Lome." 

Three  hours'  dusty  ride  brought  him  to  Edinburgh. 
By  invitation  of  Dr.  Duncan,  Adolph  went  at  once  to 
Devana  Cottage  to  which  the  family  had  moved  since 
his  last  visit,  finding  it  a  simple,  pleasant  home,  with  a 
bit  of  garden,  and  an  outlook  over  the  fields,  "quite  like 
the  country." 

The  General  Assembly  was  in  session,  and  Adolph, 
having  received  a  Delegate's  ticket  by  courtesy  of  a 
friend,  was  able  to  attend  many  of  the  meetings,  es- 
pecially in  the  evening.  Long  afterwards  the  Erinne- 
rungen  went  into  much  greater  detail  than  the  Diary 
gives,  of  the  Assembly  and  of  the  profound  impression 
made  by  it  on  the  young  Wuerttemberg  theologian.  All 
winter,  in  spite  of  the  Westminster  Confession,  an  active 
correspondence  had  been  going  on  between  Roseneath 


ARTHUR'S  SEAT  69 

and  Edinburgh,  and  it  needed  only  a  few  days  now  to 
bring  matters  to  a  conclusion.  On  the  morning  of 
May  23d,  Adolph  received  the  "remarkable  letter"  from 
Philadelphia.  "How  wonderful  that  it  did  not  take 
me  one  minute  to  accept  this  call,  which,  a  year  ago, 
I  should  have  considered  absolutely  impossible.  It  is  a 
great,  great  step  that  I  am  taking.  But  I  believe  it  is 
once  more  the  grasp  of  that  mighty  Hand  from  above, 
which,  at  important  crises,  lifts  me  and  sets  me  in  a 
place  of  which  I  had  not  thought."  The  same  day  he 
received  an  offer  of  a  tutor's  position  near  Dublin,  which 
he  would  have  taken  if  the  answer  to  Zion's  call  had 
not  already  been  mailed.*  In  the  afternoon  Miss 
Duncan  took  her  guest  to  Arthur's  Seat,  from  which 
they  had  a  very  beautiful  view  of  Edinburgh  and  its 
suburbs,  spreading  out  on  all  sides,  but  mostly  in  the 
direction  of  the  Firth  of  Forth,  whose  clear  blue  waters 
stretched  as  far  as  eye  could  reach,  toward  the  North 
Sea.  To  the  North  the  Scotch  mountains  rose,  grey  and 
misty.  "We  settled  ourselves  on  the  south  side  of  a 
sheltering  rock,  at  our  feet  lay  the  fish  pond  of  Dudding- 
stone,  with  its  white  swans,  and  the  luxuriant  trees  on 
all  sides.  And  there,  at  last,  'Ach  du  klarblauer  Himmel' 
came  true!"  Adolph  marked  the  friendly  rock  with  the 
monogram  A.  M.  "What  now  was  Nice,  and  the  Gulf 
of  Genoa,  or  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  compared  with  Ar- 
thur's Seat, — the  Firth  of  Forth  below,  the  blue  sky 
above,  and  that  heaven  in  the  heart!"  In  the  evening 
they  were  at  the  General  Assembly  until  midnight. 

On  the  31st  of  May  the  betrothal  took  place  with 
Dr.  Duncan's  full  consent:  "I  could  not  blame  you  that 
you  have  broken  through."  In  a  few  days  Adolph  re- 
moved to  lodgings,  and  Dr.  and  Miss  Duncan  left  home 

*  This  call  was  accepted  for  one  year,  until  his  leave  of  absence 
from  Wuerttemberg  should   expire. 


70  DIE  WANDERJAHRE.— SCOTLAND 

for  a  short  stay  in  Gourock.  After  seeing  them  off 
Adolph  took  his  own  train  to  Kirkaldy,  where  he  was 
invited  to  visit  the  family  of  the  Rev.  John  Black  whose 
sister  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Miss  Duncan.  Several 
days  were  filled  by  excursions  to  points  of  historical 
interest  or  commanding  fine  views  of  lake  and  moun- 
tain; and  again  he  had  opportunity  to  enjoy  the  simple, 
open-hearted  Scotch  hospitality  which  he  found  so 
charming.  »j 

Adolph's  remaining  weeks  in  Scotland  passed  quickly. 
He  made  frequent  trips  to  Gourock  and  Roseneath,  and 
preached  several  times  to  the  German  congregation  in 
Edinburgh.  Pages  on  pages  of  the  Diary  are  filled  with 
verses,  some  of  which  appear  in  the  Memoir.  The  pret- 
tiest of  these  is  the  play  on  the  name  "Mia,"  in  Greek 
the  One,  in  Italian  Mine. 

"MIA." 

Lieblich  und  fein  hast  in  kindlichem  Sinn  du  dich  Mia  geheissen, 
Lieblich  des  Wortes  Music ;  fein  ist  der  doppelte  Sinn : 
Lange  Zeit  warst  du  mir  Mia,  die  Eine,  nach  der  ich  verlangte ; 
Nun,  da  ichs  gluecklich  erreicht,  Mia,  die  Meine  du  bist. 

He  had  many  invitations,  generally  agreeable  enough. 
Once  he  writes:  "Such  an  evening  as  this  was!  Solus 
homo  among  seven  respectable  Scotch  ladies!  .  .  . 
I  must  write  down  my  engagements,  or  I  shall  forget 
them." 

Soon  after  Maria  returned  to  Edinburgh  Adolph's 
preparations  for  the  voyage  were  completed,  and  on  the 
13th  of  July  he  sailed  from  Liverpool  on  the  City  of 
Washington,  for  New  York.  Late  in  the  evening  of 
the  14th  they  left  Queenstown  Bay,  having  been  delayed 
by  belated  passengers  and  mail.  Adolph  was  very 
melancholy  as  the  last  tie  with  his  beloved  Europe  was 
severed.  For  some  time  he  paced  the  moonlit  deck,  over- 
whelmed with  conflicting  emotions,  but  gradually  the 


WESTWARD  HO  71 

beautiful  night,  the  mirror-like  sea,  the  sweet,  invigor- 
ating breeze,  and  the  bright  evening  star  toward  which 
they  were  steering,  had  the  usual  effect  on  him.  "These 
formed  too  friendly  an  escort  to  permit  me  to  indulge 
long  in  my  moody  humor.  In  Gottes  Namen  then, 
across  the  Sea !" 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  NEW  WORLD 

Philadelphia 
1864-1867 

Es  ist  mir  selbst  ein  Raethsel,  dass  ich  alter  guter 
Deutscher  jetzt  fast  mehr  nach  Amerika  denke,  als 
vrie  ich  frueher  in  Amerika  nach  Deutschland  dachte. 
Die  freie  Kirche  hat  doch  einen  wunderbaren  Reiz. 
Wer  den  einmal  gekostet  hat,  dem  schmeckt  das  Brot 
Egyptens  nicht  mehr.  .  .  .  Ich  trage  noch  immer 
die  Wunde  im  Herzen,  den  Gedanken  an  Amerika. 
Er  ist  Jahrzehnte  lang  ein  Gedanke  des  Grauens  ge- 
wesen;  seit  ich  dort  war  aber  der  Inhalt  meiner 
Sehnsucht.  .  .  .  Seit  ich  hier  Kirchenrat  bin,  weiss 
ich  erst  wie  gut  es  ein  amerikanischer  Pastor  hat. 
Dr.  Justus  Ruperti. 

From  the  "Erinnerungen  eines  Philadelphia  Pastors" 
(Kirchenbote,  1906  -  1908)  we  take  most  of  the  follow- 
ing details.  For  a  time  Dr.  Spaeth  thought  of  collecting 
these  articles  in  book  form,  and  had  made  many  correc- 
tions and  additions  with  this  end  in  view.  Later  the 
idea  was  given  up,  but  to  his  biographer  they  are  a 
treasury  of  information  at  first  hand,  given  with  all 
the  genial  simplicity  and  humor  of  the  straightforward 
Swabian. 

"These  reminiscences  naturally  begin  by  telling  how 
it  happened  that  I  came  to  Philadelphia.  For,  to  be 
quite  open,  this  will  always  be,  in  my  eyes,  the  most 
remarkable  event  of  my  life.  If  there  were  ever  a 
Candidate  of  theology  in  Germany,  who  did  not  think 
of  such  a  thing,  and  had  not  the  slightest  desire  to  seek 
72 


THE  FREE  CHURCH   OF   SCOTLAND  73 

his  field  of  labor  in  America,  it  was  the  writer  of  these 
lines.  Indeed  he  may  candidly  say,  that  in  his  youth 
he  was  as  un-American,  even  anti-American  as  a  young 
German  could  be,  who  felt  that  every  fibre  of  his  heart 
was  rooted  in  his  German  Fatherland  and  home.  But 
in  the  providence  of  God,  without  the  slightest  idea  on 
my  part,  I  had  been  sent  to  a  fine  preparatory  school 
for  American  church-life,  to  Scotland,  where  for  nearly 
a  year  I  taught  in  one  of  the  best  families  of  the  old 
nobility.  There  I  had  not  only  opportunity  to  become 
familiar  with  the  English  language  and  literature,  but 
also  learned  to  know  and  prize  the  loveliest  side  of 
English  life,  in  the  fixed  customs  of  a  truly  patriarchal 
home.  And  moreover,  through  my  venerable  friend  Dr. 
Duncan  I  came  in  contact  with  the  mighty  pulse  of 
religious  life  in  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  and  made 
the  acquaintance  of  many  prominent  men  who  were  at 
the  head  of  this  active  and  finely  organized  denomina- 
tion. .  .  .  Never  to  be  forgotten  are  the  days  I 
spent  at  the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly,  in  May, 
1864.  The  hall,  seating  five  thousand,  filled  to  the  ut- 
most corner!  The  people,  who  had  secured  their  cards 
of  admission  weeks  before!  And  the  tension  and  en- 
thusiasm with  which  this  great  audience  followed  the 
debates,  often  into  the  small  hours  of  the  night !  There 
the  eyes  of  the  Wuerttemberg  candidate  were  opened  to 
the  vitality,  the  power,  the  activity  of  a  Church  of  the 
people,  independent  of  the  government,  and  entirely  left 
to  itself.  That  was  something  new  to  me,  something 
that  I  could  never  have  learned  at  any  German  Univer- 
sity.    That  was  a  preparation  for  America! 

.  "My  position  as  tutor,  though  most  delightful,  could 
not  give  me  lasting  satisfaction.  My  vocation,  as  I 
felt  more  and  more  decidedly,  was  the  pulpit.  .  .  . 
I  wrote  to  my  most  intimate  friend  at  home,  Pastor 
Karl  Hole,  how  I  was  longing  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and 


74  THE  NEW  WORLD 

how  I  was  ready,  if  God  should  call  me,  to  go  to  Africa 
or  China  to  take  up  my  life-work.*  Twenty-four  hours 
after  I  had  sent  this  declaration  off,  came  a  letter  from 
Philadelphia  asking  if  I  were  willing  to  accept  a  position 
as  preacher  in  that  city.  The  letter  was  from  a  member 
of  the  Council  of  old  Zion's  congregation,  a  cousin  of 
mine,  who  had  seen  me  last  as  a  pupil  of  thirteen  years 
in  the  Latin  school,  and  who  did  not  know  where  to 
find  me  or  even  if  I  were  still  living.  He  had  sent  it 
to  my  mother,  who  forwarded  it  to  Edinburgh  with  the 
jesting  remark:  'Something  to  laugh  at!  You  and 
America!'  But  to  me  it  was  no  laughing  matter.  It 
pierced  my  heart  as  the  divine  answer  to  my  letter  to 
my  friend  written  a  few  days  before,  as  if  He  had  taken 
me  at  my  word.  If  I  were  sincere  in  my  readiness  to 
go  anywhere  to  preach  the  Gospel,  I  could  only  answer, 
'Yes.'  At  once  I  sat  down  and  wrote  to  Dr.  Mann:  T 
am  coming.'  " 

To  his  mother  it  was  no  longer  something  to  laugh 
at;  she  wrote,  June  19th:  "Your  decision  surprised  me 
very,  very  much,  though  on  the  other  hand,  I  was  glad 
to  have  the  suspense  over.  ...  I  could  only  say 
to  the  Lord,  'Yes,  I  shall  certainly  be  able  to  thank  Thee 
for  it  all,  later.  But  just  this  little  while  let  me  weep 
before  Thee.'  "  Concerning  his  papers  from  Wuert- 
temberg  she  adds:  "The  very  day  that  the  last  letter 
was  sent  off  came  the  testimonials,  especially  one  from 

♦Hole's  reply  to  this  letter  was,  in  part,  as  follows:  I  believe 
it  is  not  yet  time  for  you  to  enter  the  service  of  the  Church.  Your 
heart's  desire  for  new  worlds  must  first  be  satisfied,  and  I  do  not 
consider  it  too  quixotic  a  thought,  on  the  contrary  I  would  counsel 
you,  to  make  an  extended  tour.  But  I  would  advise  America, 
rather  than  China  or  Australia.  That  would  fit  exactly  into  your 
career,  to  steam  off  for  America!  ....  In  American  surround- 
ings you  can  best  acquire  firmness  of  character,  and  make  the  most 
of  your  qualities.  Later,  enriched  in  experience  and  ideas,  you  can 
return  to  Wuerttemberg. 


WAR  AND  RUMORS  OF  WAR  75 

your  good  old  Pastor  Arnold  in  Bittenfeld.  .  .  He 
mentions  discourse,  catechization,  visits  to  the  sick,  all 
excellent;  calls  you  good-natured,  cultivated,  pleasant, 
suited  to  a  large  city,  etc.,  etc.  Dekan  Buehrer  of 
VVaiblingen  witnessed  this,  and  added  his  certificate  of 
ordination  on  the  same  paper.  .  .  .  Ernst  says,  'I 
do  not  believe  that  Adolph  will  stay  any  too  long  in 
America.  He  is  too  good  a  "Schwabe."  I  believe  too 
that  his  somewhat  sentimental  turn  will  not  be  perma- 
nently satisfied  with  American  conditions  which  are 
certainly  the  very  opposite.'  " 

The  City  of  Washington  was  an  old  ship,  and,  even 
for  that  time,  very  slow,  making  the  trip  in  sixteen  days. 
"But  that  did  not  disturb  me  specially.  I  had  no  idea 
with  what  longing,  what  impatience  even,  I  was  expected 
in  Philadelphia.  The  novelty  of  the  voyage,  the  world 
in  miniature  in  which  one  finds  himself  on  such  a  ship, 
all  made  the  time  seem  very  short  to  me."  On  the  27th 
of  July  the  pilot  was  taken  on  board,  with  newspapers 
only  eight  days  old,  which  were  eagerly  seized,  for  it 
was  war-time!  The  news  was  not  very  favorable  to 
the  North.  The  confederates  were  reported  to  have 
destroyed  the  outer  fortifications  of  Washington,  and 
laid  half  of  Baltimore  in  ruins!  It  was  not  really  as 
bad  as  that,  but  the  Southern  troops  had  entered  Penn- 
sylvania, and  burned  Chambersburg.  "And  gold  was 
293 !  The  American  business  men  on  board  were  nearly 
beside  themselves.  I  was  naive  enough  to  ask  what  that 
really  meant,  and  learned  that  for  a  Dollar  in  gold  one 
must  pay  two  Dollars  and  ninety-three  cents  in  currency. 
And  to  this  was  added  the  startling  information  that 
when  I  had  been  six  months  in  the  country  I  would  be 
liable  to  conscription,  and  would  have  my  choice  either 
to  give  my  fresh  young  life  to  Uncle  Sam  as  food  for 
powder,  or  to  buy  a  substitute  for  three  hundred  Dollars ! 
A  pleasant  prospect  for  one  who  had  set  out  so  valiantly 


76  THE  NEW  WORLD 

to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Peace  in  this  western  land!" 
When  they  docked  next  day,  a  friendly  fellow- 
passenger  took  charge  of  him  as  far  as  Third  and 
Walnut  Street,  whence  he  found  his  way  alone  to 
his  destination,  a  modest  little  book-store  near  Button- 
wood.  "There,  before  his  shop,  sat  a  comfortable  look- 
ing Swabian  smoking  his  evening  pipe.  Ts  this  Cousin 
Wilhelm?'  I  asked.  'Are  you  Adolph?  Thank  God! 
At  last !    At  last !    Welcome  to  Philadelphia !'  " 

His  first  interview  with  Dr.  Mann  next  morning  was 
very  satisfactory  to  both.  In  Dr.  Mann's  Diary  is  the 
entry,  July  30,  1864:  Yesterday  I  saw  Pastor  Spaeth 
for  the  first  time.  .  .  .  He  is  now  twenty-five  years 
old.  The  first  impression  is  very  favorable;  a  real 
Swabian,  good-natured,  frank,  well  educated,  with  re- 
quisite knowledge  of  the  world,  and  no  self-conceit. 
"From  the  first  we  felt  like  old  acquaintances.  We 
found  points  of  contact  everywhere.  Dr.  Mann  was  a 
Swabian  like  myself,  and  his  course  of  theological  train- 
ing in  Wuerttemberg  had  been  essentially  the  same  as 
mine.  His  brother  Rudolph,  Pastor  in  Hedelfinger,  was 
a  compromotionalist  of  my  father.  .  .  Never  shall 
I  forget,  how,  in  the  first  quarter  of  an  hour,  he  read 
the  horoscope  of  my  American  future.  In  my  unsophisti- 
cated way  I  had  confided  to  him  that  I  had  come  to 
serve  the  congregation  for  a  year  or  two  if  they  wanted 
me,  and  thus  to  widen  my  own  theological  and  pastoral 
horizon,  but  that  I  had  no  idea  of  giving  up  my  Swabian 
home  for  the  sake  of  remaining  in  America.  'What!' 
he  cried,  'Go  back?  Do  not  dream  of  such  a  thing! 
Anyone  called  by  God  to  this  land  as  you  have  been, 
does  not  go  back.  He  stays  here,  and  has  found  his 
field  of  labor  here.  Basta!'  I  wondered  then  how  he 
could  be  so  sure  of  that,  but  looking  back  on  this  scene 
in  later  years  have  often  thought,  he  was  right  after  all !" 
Events  followed  rapidly.     On  the  next  Sunday  even- 


THE  TESTING  OF  AN  APOSTLE  77 

ing  Pastor  Spaeth  preached  in  St.  Michael's,  before  an 
audience  composed  almost  entirely  of  the  Church 
Council,  from  the  text  II  Cor.  12:  9,  My  grace  is  suffi- 
cient for  thee:  for  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in 
weakness.  Everything  was  very  primitive,  no  vestry 
room,  no  place  to  put  on  a  gown,  no  liturgy.  On  the 
following  Tuesday  he  was  nominated  by  the  Council  as 
assistant  pastor,  and  eight  weeks  later,  September  27th, 
was  unanimously  elected  as  regular  pastor  of  St. 
Michael's  and  Zion's  congregation.  On  the  16th  of 
October  he  was  installed  by  Rev.  J.  T.  Vogelbach,  and 
preached  his  first  sermon  as  pastor  from  the  text  John 
21:  15-17.  The  testing  of  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ; 
1.  the  examination  question;  2.  the  answer;  3.  the 
installation.  On  the  23d  of  May,  1910,  he  preached 
at  the  ordination  service  in  old  St.  John's,  in  great 
weakness  and  self-distrust,  taking  the  same  theme  for 
his  sermon.  One  who  heard  him  said,  "It  was  very 
sad,  but  very,  very  lovely !"  He  felt  that  he  would  prob- 
ably never  preach  again,  and  said  to  his  wife:  "If  this 
should  be  my  last  sermon,  tell  the  Church  as  a  message 
from  me,  that  I  could  find  no  better  words  for  these 
young  men  than  those  that  I  took  for  myself  nearly 
fifty  years  ago." 

Dr.  Mann  had  said  to  him  as  he  put  on  the  gown: 
"You  are  standing  at  one  of  the  culminating  points  of 
your  life!"  "I  felt  the  truth  of  these  words  weighing 
heavily  enough  on  my  young  heart.  .  .  .  Three 
years  before,  in  leaving  the  University  of  Tuebingen  I 
had  competed  for  the  academic  prize,  in  a  sermon  for 
which  this  text  was  given  to  me:  'To  the  angel  of  the 
church  in  Philadelphia  write  .  .  .  behold  I  have  set 
before  thee  an  open  door,  and  no  man  can  shut  it  .  .' 
and  now  I  stood  in  the  Philadelphia  of  this  western 
world,  as  duly  appointed  pastor  of  the  old  Mother- 
congregation,  as  her  divinely  commissioned  ambassador, 


78  THE  NEW  WORLD 

with  the  fervent  prayer  out  of  a  deeply  agitated  heart, 
that  He  who  had  opened  the  door  so  wide  to  me  would 
bless  my  going  in,  and  would  make  of  me  a  faithful 
messenger  of  the  blessed  Gospel  in  this  new  world." 
The  uncertainty  in  regard  to  his  vocation  was  at  an 
end.  In  his  Diary  he  writes,  October  16th:  Lord  give 
me  richly  of  Thy  grace  and  power,  that  Thou  mayest 
be  all  in  all  to  me,  at  every  step  in  my  difficult  calling, 
a  calling  so  full  of  anxiety,  but  which  I  would  not  for 
worlds  now  exchange  for  any  other. 

When  Pastor  Spaeth  arrived  in  America  the  country 
was  in  the  throes  of  the  Civil  War.  So  far  he  had  not 
taken  the  slightest  interest  in  this  "butchery"  as  he 
rather  contemptuously  called  it.  In  Scotland,  while  he 
was  drawing  accurate  maps  to  show  his  pupils  the  pro- 
gress of  the  Schleswig-Holstein  struggle  in  the  Spring 
of  1864,  Lord  Lome  often  expressed  his  wonder  that 
Herr  Spaeth,  who  otherwise  took  the  liveliest  interest 
in  all  military  matters,  did  not  care  to  study  with  him 
the  movements  of  the  American  war,  as  detailed  in  the 
American  newspapers  which  he  read  regularly.  "Like 
so  many  Europeans  I  undervalued  the  significance  and 
extent  of  the  conflict,  in  which,  as  I  saw  it,  there  was 
nothing  but  the  bitter,  passionate  dissension  of  political 
parties.  I  shall  never  forget  the  lesson  I  received  when 
Dr.  Mann  took  me  to  call  on  Dr.  C.  W.  Schaeffer,  at 
that  time  President  of  the  Pennsylvania  Synod,  and 
the  conversation  turned  on  the  state  of  the  country. 
Without  the  least  embarrassment  I  expressed  my  doubt 
whether  the  Union  would  remain  unbroken.  As  we  left 
the  house  Dr.  Mann  said,  with  a  gravity  that  made  the 
deepest  impression  on  me:  'You  must  not  say  anything 
like  that  to  a  loyal  American!  For  him  it  is  an  article 
of  faith  that  this  union  of  free  states  will  continue  un- 
broken, and  will  come  out  victorious  in  the  war.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  this  will  soon  become  your  conviction 


PHILADELPHIA  IN  WAR  TIME  79 

also.'  And,  indeed,  so  it  happened  soon  enough.  The 
war  and  the  excitement  of  the  presidential  election, 
which,  in  November,  1864,  called  Lincoln  for  the  second 
time  to  the  White  House,  made  of  me  within  a  few 
months,  a  positive  and  enthusiastic  American." 

In  the  plain  German  restaurant  where  he  dined  he 
was  thrown  with  young  men  and  officers  who  had  taken 
part  in  many  important  battles,  and  the  conversation 
turned  naturally  on  their  experiences.  It  soon  became 
his  daily  habit  to  stroll  down  to  the  bulletin  boards  in 
Chestnut  Street  in  order  to  learn  the  latest  war  news. 
At  York  Avenue  and  5th  Street  was  a  sort  of  guard- 
house, with  a  detachment  of  U.  S.  troops.  Here  he 
often  fell  in  with  groups  of  Southern  prisoners  await- 
ing transportation  to  Fort  Mifflin  or  some  other  point. 
The  city  was  filled  with  military  hospitals,  and  after 
every  battle  in  the  East  the  hospitals  nearest  the  field 
were  hastily  evacuated,  and  patients  who  could  be  moved 
were  sent  North  to  make  room  for  the  freshly  wounded. 
In  such  emergencies  the  volunteer  fire  companies  did 
yeoman's  service.  Besides  its  ordinary  apparatus  each 
company  kept  an  ambulance,  and  when  a  certain  signal 
was  rung,  every  man  reported  for  duty  in  transporting 
the  wounded  soldiers  from  ship  or  train  to  the  waiting 
hospitals.  "How  many  a  crippled  German  from  the 
Union  army  did  I  seek  out  in  those  months,  to  bring 
him  a  word  of  comfort  from  the  Gospel!  How  hard 
these  visits  often  were  to  the  young  beginner  in  the 
pastoral  care  of  souls!  How  his  heart  shrank  before 
the  sight  of  all  the  distress  and  misery  which  he  was 
forced  to  witness !  I  remember  how  one  dear  old  widow 
showed  me  the  last  letter  of  her  son,  mortally  wounded 
at  Gettysburg.  On  a  wretched  scrap  of  paper,  with 
trembling  hand  the  words  were  written:  'My  right  leg 
is  gone,  but  the  victory  is  ours!  Thank  God!'  And 
when  the  mother  asked  me:     'Shall  I  have  his  body 


80  THE  NEW  WORLD 

taken  up,  and  brought  to  our  cemetery  in  Philadelphia?' 
I  answered  decidedly:  'No!  Leave  him  there,  among  the 
comrades  with  whom  he  fought,  on  the  field  of  victory 
where  he  shed  his  blood  for  his  country,  at  the  foot  of 
the  monument  which  Lincoln  dedicated  with  his  im- 
mortal words !'  " 

From  August,  1864,  to  April,  1865,  he  followed  the 
course  of  events  with  increasing  interest;  Petersburg, 
Sheridan's  ride,  Thomas  at  Nashville,  Sherman's  march 
to  the  sea;  slowly  but  steadily  the  last  crisis  was  ap- 
proaching. On  the  4th  of  April  came  the  news  of  the 
taking  of  Richmond.  Pastor  Spaeth  tells  graphically  in 
the  Erinnerungen,  how  his  confirmation  instruction  was 
interrupted  by  the  wild  ringing  of  all  the  bells  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  a  curious  rumbling  and  roaring  of 
the  crowds  in  the  streets,  now  and  again  breaking  into 
loud  shouts  of  triumph.  He  hurried  in  the  greatest 
excitement  to  his  friend,  Dr.  Koch.  "One  must  pour 
out  one's  heart  to  somebody!  We  went  down  Chestnut 
Street  together,  i.  e.,  we  allowed  ourselves  to  be  pushed 
and  carried  from  square  to  square,  by  the  surging  tide 
of  humanity.  Never  in  my  life  have  I  seen  such  an  ele- 
mental outburst  of  national  joy,  such  transports  of  vic- 
tory. Every  few  steps  we  were  blocked  by  a  group  who 
thronged  about  an  orator,  with  the  boisterous  demand: 
'Speech!  Speech!'  How  many  speeches  we  heard  that 
afternoon  I  could  not  say.  But  they  were  all  alike ; 
alike  short,  alike  good:  'Friends!  Fellow  citizens! 
Richmond  is  ours!  The  war  is  over!  Thank  God!' 
And  then  the  speaker  would  embrace  his  nearest  neigh- 
bor, and  staid,  gray-haired  men  would  give  each  other 
a  hearty  kiss,  laughing  and  crying  like  children." 

Lincoln's  assassination  on  Good  Friday,  followed 
close  on  this  unrestrained  joy  of  conquest.  On  Saturday 
afternoon  Pastor  Spaeth  was  to  have  the  preparatory 
service  for  the  Easter  communion.     "In  the  frightful 


LINCOLN'S  ASSASSINATION  81 

excitement  there  was  no  idea  of  collected  thought  or 
preparation  of  an  address,  so  that  was  really  my  first 
ex  tempore  sermon,  though  even  without  preparation 
earnest  words  of  repentance  and  humility  were  not  hard 
to  find  in  that  hour.  .  .  .  Much  more  difficult  was 
the  Easter  sermon  which  I  was  to  preach  next  day  in 
Zion's.  Whence  should  come  Easter  joy,  and  edification 
for  the  nine  hundred  *  communicants  who  were  to  ap- 
proach the  table  of  the  Lord,  when  every  heart  was 
oppressed  by  the  same  fearful  burden?  The  question 
of  the  sorrowing  women  in  the  Easter  Gospel  gave,  of 
course,  a  natural  starting  point  for  the  introduction.     . 

.  .  'Who  shall  roll  us  away  the  stone  from  the 
door  of  the  sepulchre? — For  it  was  very  great.'  Yes, 
very  great  is  the  stone  of  sorrow  that  has  rolled  in 
upon  our  people  with  the  awful  news,  which,  in  a  day, 
has  turned  our  whole  broad  land  into  a  house  of  mourn- 
ing. It  has  fallen  upon  us  all  the  more  heavily,  because 
the  Scripture  here  may  almost  be  transposed  in  its  ap- 
plication to  our  nation  and  land:  'We  believed  it  was 
rolled  away,'  the  heavy  stone  of  calamity  and  sorrow, 
which,  for  four  years,  has  defied  every  attempt  to  re- 
move it.  We  thought  joyfully,  now  it  is  nearly  off ;  one 
last  powerful  effort,  and  it  would  have  been  gone !  And 
behold,  when  we  lift  our  eyes,  the  stone  lies  there  still ! 
It  has  slipped  back  and  has  struck  down  the  Foremost 
One,  who  in  faithful,  conscientious  zeal  had  labored 
unremittingly  to  raise  it.  The  stone  lies  there  still, 
heavy  as  ever,  threatening  as  ever!  It  is  not  rolled 
away! 

"We  had  expected,  thinking  of  our  country,  of  the 
suffering  and  conflict  through  which  she  has  passed,  of 
the  sacrifices  she  has  made,  to  celebrate  a  joyful  Easter, 
such  an  Easter  as  never  before  was  given  to  any  nation ; 

*  600  had  already  communed  on  Good  Friday. 


82  THE  NEW  WORLD 

an  emancipation,  a  resurrection  and  redemption,  a  dis- 
persing of  the  darkness  of  the  tomb,  a  breaking  of  ig- 
nominious fetters,  a  rejuvination  and  re-animation  of 
the  whole  powerful  body.  .  .  .  And  as  Jerusalem 
on  the  first  day  of  Holy  Week  resounded  with  Hosanna 
and  Hallelujah,  so  we  too  entered  upon  this  earnest, 
never-to-be-forgotten  week  with  victor's  triumph  on  our 
lips,  victor's  joy  in  our  hearts,  exultant  cries  of  victory 
on  our  streets,  banners  of  victory  floating  from  our 
houses.  In  public  and  in  private,  praise  and  thanksgiv- 
ing from  hearts  glowing  with  devotion,  went  up  to  the 
Lord  of  Sabbaoth  for  the  victory  which  He  had  given. 
How  bright  and  clear,  how  radiant  lay  the  future  before 
our  eyes!  How  happy  we  were  to  breathe  freely  once 
more!  How  did  the  sunny  blue  heaven  laugh  above  a 
great,  glad  nation,  in  its  intoxication  of  victory! — And 
now !  One  terrible  stroke,  a  bolt  from  a  clear  sky,  which 
curdles  the  blood  in  every  vein  for  horror,  and  fills 
the  eyes  of  strong  men  with  tears.  Far  and  wide, 
through  the  exulting  land,  from  city  to  city,  from  village 
to  village,  over  mountain  and  valley,  hovers  the  Angel 
of  Death  with  his  black  shadow,  extinguishes  the  bon- 
fires, furls  the  banners,  and  pours  bitter  wormwood  into 
the  cup  of  rejoicing!  ....  An  awful  stillness 
broods  over  our  streets ;  like  orphaned  children,  sad  and 
with  agitated  faces,  our  people  go  their  way.  As  one 
house  of  mourning,  the  dwellings  of  the  living  are 
draped  with  the  hue  of  death,  and  from  every  tower 
falls  the  dismal,  muffled  tolling  of  brazen-throated  bells." 
On  Wednesday,  April  19th,  a  memorial  service  to  the 
murdered  President  was  appointed  in  Zion's,  and  much 
as  the  younger  pastor  felt  that  Dr.  Mann  should  take 
such  a  service,  the  latter  insisted  on  the  invariable  rule 
that  he  who  had  filled  the  pulpit  on  Sunday  morning 
must  also  take  any  service  held  in  the  following  week. 
"All  my  begging  and  pleading  did  not  help.     I  had  to 


LINCOLN  MEMORIAL  SERVICE  Si 

do  it.  I  hastily  procured  a  volume  of  Lincoln's  speeches, 
made  on  specially  important  occasions.  On  Wednesday 
the  Memorial  Service  was  held  according  to  program, 
and  before  an  audience  of  nearly  three  thousand  souls, 
I  bore  witness  gladly,  and  with  enthusiasm,  to  what  this 
great  man  had  been  to  his  country  and  nation.  Today, 
while  I  look  upon  many  fiery  outbursts  of  my  youthful 
zeal  with  a  riper  and  more  sober  judgment,  of  that 
address  I  can  say  with  sincere  pleasure:  out  of  the 
abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh."  It  is 
interesting  to  recall  that  more  than  twenty  years  later, 
at  the  Memorial  to  Kaiser  Wilhelm,  one  of  the  speakers 
of  the  evening  was  thus  introduced  by  the  President  of 
the  German  Society:  I  remember  well  the  hour  when 
the  dread  news  of  the  sudden  death  of  the  noble  Presi- 
dent Abraham  Lincoln  flashed  through  our  country. 
It  was  a  German  who  had  landed  on  our  shores  not  long 
before,  whose  address  at  the  Memorial  Service  held 
then,  showed  such  profound  understanding  of  our 
grievous  loss.  I  take  pleasure  in  introducing  to  you 
as  the  German  orator  for  our  Memorial  Service  today, 
the  same  man,  Pastor  Adolph  Spaeth. 

The  Diary  records  that  when,  on  Saturday,  April  22d, 
the  body  of  the  martyred  President  was  brought  to 
Philadelphia  to  lie  in  state  in  Independence  Hall,  Pastor 
Spaeth  joined  the  escort  of  citizens,  but  after  marching 
nearly  four  hours,  left  the  procession  at  eight  o'clock, 
just  as  his  column  wheeled  into  position  behind  the 
hearse. 

"Soon  after  my  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  I  became  a 
member  of  the  German  Society,  deeming  this  a  matter 
of  course  for  a  German  pastor  in  the  City  of  Brotherly 
Love.  My  colleague,  Dr.  Mann,  had  held  a  prominent 
position  there  for  years,  especially  as  Chairman  of  the 
Library  Committee.  The  German  Society  in  Philadel- 
phia is  one  of  the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest  association  of 


84  THE  NEW  WORLD 

its  kind  in  our  land,  two  years  older  than  the  well  known 
'German  Friendly  Society'  of  Charleston,  S.  C  It  was 
founded  in  1764  in  the  schoolhouse  of  the  mother- 
congregation,  where  its  meetings  were  held  for  nearly 
fifty  years,  and  its  first  members  were  almost  exclusively 
members  of  St.  Michael's  and  Zion's."  In  1802,  Peter 
Muhlenberg  was  President,  and  Charles  James  Krauth, 
grandfather  of  Dr.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth,  was 
Secretary  of  the  Society.  Every  German  Christian  can 
heartily  subscribe  to  its  beautiful  motto:  "Religione, 
Industria,  Fortitudine  Germana  Proles  florebit;" 
through  Piety,  Industry,  and  Courage  will  the  German 
Race  prosper.  But  in  the  course  of  a  century  the 
Society  had  shifted  its  position.  English  had  largely 
driven  out  German  in  the  action  and  Minutes,  until  the 
influx  of  exiles  in  1848  restored  the  mother-tongue. 
But  the  Christian  tone  which  had  characterized  the 
Society  at  first,  was  no  longer  prominent.  "In  the  fall 
of  1864,  when  the  hundredth  anniversary  was  celebrated, 
the  chief  speaker  translated  'Religione'  as  'freedom  of 
conscience,'  'religious  liberty,'  just  the  opposite  of  what 
the  fathers  and  founders  had  understood  by  that  word. 
This  public  perversion  of  the  facts  shocked  me  deeply, 
and,  in  the  first  ebullition  of  my  wrath,  I  intended  to 
protest  energetically  and  openly,  against  such  a  transla- 
tion. But  when  I  talked  it  over  with  Dr.  Mann  he 
dissuaded  me,  being  convinced  that  nothing  could  come 
of  it  owing  to  the  prevalence  of  antagonism  to  the 
Church  among  our  German  dailies;  further,  I  had  no 
guarantee  that  my  voice  would  gain  any  kind  of  im- 
partial audience.  For  that  a  pastor  would,  in  these 
circles  secure  a  hearing,  or  that  he  would  be  chosen  as 
speaker  on  any  festival  occasion,  was  at  that  time  some- 
thing simply  beyond  imagination.  In  the  course  of  years 
our  Philadelphia  German  press  has  gradually  changed 
its  tone  toward  churchly  interests."    The  Charter  of  the 


ALTERED   PLANS  85 

German  Society  made  it  one  of  its  duties  to  found 
schools  and  to  encourage  education,  and  in  the  first  fifty 
years  of  its  existence  the  expenditure  for  such  purposes 
was  almost  as  great  as  for  charity.  At  that  time  most 
of  this  sum  was  used  for  assisting  young  men  who 
attended  the  University  with  a  view  to  studying  theology. 
From  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  this 
activity  declined  more  and  more,  and  with  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  Public  School  system  ceased  entirely.  The 
Centennial  of  the  Society  was  the  occasion  for  an  at- 
tempt to  found  a  German  High  School,  which  came 
to  nothing.  Instead  of  this  plan  Mr.  E.  Schaefer  pro- 
posed an  evening  school,  for  the  free  instruction  of 
German  immigrants  in  the  English  language.  The  idea 
was  well  received  and  successfully  carried  out.  As  one 
means  of  providing  the  necessary  funds  a  course  of 
lectures  was  arranged  during  the  following  winter. 
Pastor  Spaeth  lectured  January  20,  1868,  on  the 
Waldenses  and  their  Church.  (Condensed  from  Report 
of  the  Germany  Society  for  1867.) 

When  Pastor  Spaeth  left  Edinburgh  it  was  his  plan 
to  return  in  the  spring  or  summer  of  1865  to  claim  his 
bride,  Dr.  Duncan  of  course  performing  the  marriage 
ceremony.  But  in  a  congregation  so  recently  torn  by 
strong  party  feeling,  where  the  wounds  had  now  begun 
to  heal,  and  a  new  era  of  peace  and  brotherly  love  was 
dawning,  it  would  have  been  most  inopportune  for  the 
young  pastor  to  leave  his  post  even  for  a  few  weeks. 
A  second  plan  gradually  took  shape,  and  Miss  Duncan 
found  herself  obliged  to  give  up  her  very  natural 
preference  for  a  home  wedding,  to  follow  the  clear  path 
of  duty  which  took  her  across  the  sea  alone.  On  the 
31st  of  December,  1864,  she  wrote  in  her  Diary:  "Lord 
help  me  to  begin  the  New  Year  in  Thy  Name.  O  go 
with  me!  Prepare  me  for  what  Thou  hast  prepared 
for  me."    On  the  226.  of  April,  1865,  she  left  Liverpool, 


86  THE  NEW  WORLD 

landing,  after  a  delightful  voyage,  on  the  2d  of  May. 
In  Philadelphia  she  was  the  guest  for  a  few  days,  of 
Dr.  Koch's  family,  and  in  his  house  on  the  8th  of  May, 
the  wedding  took  place,  Dr.  Mann  officiating.  After  a 
short  journey  including  Niagara,  "too  grand,  too  awful 
for  description,"  and  the  Hudson,  "sweet  and  pretty," 
the  young  couple  took  possession  of  their  own  home  in 
Philadelphia,  "a  flat,  monotonous  city.  .  .  .  and  yet, 
for  the  kind  of  city     .     .     .     fine."  * 

In  August,  1865,  the  little  household  was  augmented 
by  the  arrival  of  Pastor  Spaeth's  sister  Emma,  later 
Mrs.  Philip  Pfatteicher,  and  for  six  years  she  remained 
in  the  parsonage,  a  blessing  to  its  inmates,  and  a  most 
active  participant  in  the  work  of  the  congregations. 
Mrs.  Spaeth's  position  on  the  "woman  question"  of  that 
day  was  very  decided.  She  thought  that  women  should 
have  an  opportunity  to  continue  their  studies  longer,  and, 
where  possible,  enjoy  two  or  three  years  in  college.  But 
she  held  strictly  to  her  Bible  as  the  rule  on  this  whole 
subject,  and  therefore  she  could  not  agree  with  Miss 
Anna  Dickinson  whom  she  heard  lecture,  except  on  the 
broad  general  principle  that  "women  needed  something 
to  do."  Nor  could  she  go  quite  as  far  in  the  other 
direction  as  so  many  Germans  do,  who  hold  to  the  "three 
K's"  f  as  woman's  sole  duty.  She  writes:  "Her  first 
duty  I  believe  does  lie  in  the  care  of  her  household. 
But  for  those  who  have  no  household  ?"  "Well,  I  don't 
think  that  woman  as  a  whole  has  much  to  do  with 
politics."  (The  slogan,  Votes  for  Women,  was  begin- 
ning to  be  heard  in  the  land.)  "My  difficulty  lies  in 
knowing  where  to  stop  consistently  when  I  begin.  What 
are  the  necessary,  indispensable  ingredients  of  womanli- 
ness, which  we  would  never  like  women  to  lose?"     "No 

*  In  Memoriam.     Maria  Dorothea  Duncan   Spaeth,   1879. 
t  Kirche,  Kinder,  Kueche.     Church,  Children,  Cooking. 


ENTERING  THE  MINISTERIUM  87 

woman  I  think  can  become  unwomanly  through  learning 
provided  her  petticoats  are  long  enough  to  cover  the 
blue  stockings." 

In  her  desire  to  help  the  young  girls  of  the  congrega- 
tion to  "do  something"  she  was  ably  seconded  by  the 
zeal  and  experience  of  her  husband's  sister,  and  a  few 
weeks  after  the  arrival  of  the  latter  a  little  society  was 
formed,  whose  object  was  the  support  of  an  orphan 
in  our  Home.  At  the  same  time  she  was  making  stren- 
uous efforts  to  become  familiar  with  the  doctrines  and 
usages  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  different  in  so  many 
respects  from  those  to  which  she  was  accustomed. 
Gradually  the  Church  Year,  especially  Christmas  and 
Easter  became  dear  to  her,  and  we  find  her  even  "plod- 
ding through  the  Symbolical  Books  .  .  .  anxious 
to  become  acquainted  with  them."     (Memoir.) 

Reaching  America  in  July,  it  was  fully  ten  months 
before  Pastor  Spaeth  could  be  received  into  the  Minis- 
terium.  This  important  event  is  thus  described  in  the 
Erinnerungen.  "On  June  n,  1865,  I  journeyed  to  Eas- 
ton  to  the  117th  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  Minister- 
ium.  .  .  On  my  arrival  Dr.  Mann  met  me  and  sur- 
prised me  with  the  news  that  I  was  already  a  member 
of  the  Ministerium.  He  was  at  that  time  Chairman  of 
the  Examining  Committee  of  Synod,  and  had  given  such 
a  favorable  account  of  me  and  of  my  work  in  Zion's 
that,  without  having  appeared  before  the  Committee  in 
person,  I  was  unanimously  recommended,  and  had  been 
received  into  the  Ministerium  that  morning,  together 
with  Dr.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth,  Dr.  J.  A.  Seiss. 
Dr.  H.  Lewis  Baugher,  Rev.  S.  Laird  and  Rev. 
Jacob  Fry.  In  this  first  meeting  I  took  a  modest 
share  in  the  synodical  work,  being  appointed  to 
deliver  the  German  address  on  the  standing  theme  of 
Education,  and  chose  as  my  text  Peter's  words:  What 
shall  we  have  therefore?     .     .     .     The  first  Committee 


88  THE  NEW  WORLD 

on  which  I  served  in  Synod,  curiously  enough,  was  en- 
trusted with  a  matter  in  which,  later  on,  I  was  to  find 
much  to  do,  namely,  the  Diaconate!"  Dr.  Fry  writes 
in  1910:  "Possibly  more  interest  was  manifested  in 
Dr.  Spaeth  than  in  any  of  the  other  new  members.  So 
great  was  the  wish  to  hear  him  that  he  was  asked  to 
speak  at  the  Educational  Anniversary  held  in  the  evening 
of  the  first  day's  session.  His  handsome  face,  graceful 
movements,  musical  voice,  and  distinct  utterance  won 
the  high  regard  of  all  who  heard  him.  That  regard 
he  never  lost.  As  he  ripened  in  years  his  influence  in- 
creased, and  he  was  soon  recognized  as  a  leader." 

"My  entrance  into  the  Synod  came  at  a  momentous 
period  in  the  development  of  our  Lutheran  Church  in 
this  Western  land.  The  struggle,  lasting  many  years, 
for  a  truly  Lutheran  character  and  confession  in  the 
General  Synod,  to  which,  at  that  time,  the  Pennsylvania 
Synod  still  belonged,  had  reached  its  crisis.  It  was  a 
time  of  deepest  agitation  and  disturbance  of  mind.  The 
demand  was  urgent  for  a  separation  and  decision  be- 
tween a  sincere,  consistent  Lutheranism,  faithful  to  the 
Confessions,  and  a  more  or  less  washed-out  Unionism, 
which  so  far  had  dominated  the  General  Synod. 

"There  was  a  certain  parallel  between  this  struggle 
in  the  Church  and  the  great  national  struggle  then  going 
on,  for  Union  and  Constitution  .  .  and  as  the  con- 
flict between  North  and  South  so  quickly  made  a 
patriotic  American  out  of  me,  so  this  conflict  in  the 
Church,  into  whose  tumult  I  was  thrown,  led  me,  more 
than  my  theological  training  in  Wuerttemberg  had  ever 
done,  to  a  true  estimate  of  the  Lutheran  Confessions, 
and  to  a  personal  acceptance  of  them,  if  I  would  be 
faithful  to  my  conviction.  ...  I  thank  God  that 
He  brought  me  to  the  New  World  and  to  my  field  of 
labor  here  just  at  this  critical  period.  As  the  great 
principles  involved  came  to  be  more  sharply  defined  and 


FOUNDING  THE  SEMINARY  89 

more  clearly  recognized,  and  forced  a  decision,  I  was 
often  reminded  of  the  words  of  Ulrich  v.  Hutten,  who, 
in  the  Reformation  era  to  which  he  belonged,  exclaimed 
in  rapture:  'O  glorious  Century !  It  is  a  delight  to  live 
in  thee!'" 

In  the  end  of  July,  1864,  the  decision  had  been 
reached,  at  a  special  meeting  of  Synod  in  Allentown,  to 
found  the  new  Seminary  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  first 
Faculty  had  been  chosen.  The  Seminary  opened 
October  3d,  with  eleven  students ;  on  the  4th  the  Faculty 
was  solemnly  installed  in  St.  John's  church.  Dr. 
Krauth  made  the  address  which,  in  the  name  of  the 
Faculty  laid  down  the  principles  according  to  which  in- 
struction was  to  be  given,  and  the  old  faith  of  Luther 
was  to  be  confessed  and  maintained  in  the  institution. 
The  translation  of  this  address  for  the  Luth.  Zeitschrift 
was  the  first  literary  service  which  Pastor  Spaeth  under- 
took for  the  Church  at  large,  and  especially  for  the 
Seminary.  Soon  after  its  publication  he  writes:  Dr. 
Krauth  seems  satisfied  with  my  translation  of  his  Ad- 
dress,— but  Dr.  Mann  not  at  all!  (Diary.) 

Meanwhile  the  work  in  Zion's  had  gone  more  and 
more  smoothly:  the  breach  between  the  old  pastor  and 
a  part  of  the  congregation  had  been  healed,  and  a  firm 
friendship  between  him  and  Pastor  Spaeth  was  cemented 
for  life.  When  Dr.  Mann  was  appointed  Professor  of 
Hebrew  in  the  Seminary  in  the  fall  of  1864,  "he  formed 
a  sort  of  Hebrew  club  with  his  newly  arrived  colleague 
in  the  pastorate,  and  in  those  short  weeks  preceding  the 
opening  of  the  Seminary  a  good  deal  of  the  Prophet 
Isaiah  was  read  by  the  two  friends."  *  As  the  city 
developed  and  the  congregation  became  more  and  more 

♦Memorial  of  William  Julius  Mann,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  (A.  S.)  re- 
printed for  the  Ev.  Luth.  Min.  of  Penna.,  from  the  Lutheran 
Church   Review,  January,   1893. 


go  THE  NEW  WORLD 

scattered,  it  had  long  been  felt  that  three  churches,* 
lying  very  near  together,  were  not  enough  for  the 
spiritual  needs  of  the  great  mass  of  Germans  in  Phila- 
delphia. By  founding  parish  schools  in  the  outlying 
districts  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  reach  the  children, 
and  nearly  a  thousand  had  been  gathered  under  the 
care  of  nine  teachers,  most  valuable  assistants  to  the 
pastors  in  their  herculean  task.  The  pastoral  visiting, 
which  included  West  Philadelphia,  Port  Richmond  and 
Southwark,  often  necessitated  a  day's  journey,  mostly 
on  foot.  On  Sunday,  a  favorite  opportunity  for  bap- 
tisms at  home,  no  street  cars  ran,  and  though  a  carriage 
was  always  sent  to  bring  the  minister  to  a  funeral,  this 
simple  expedient  never  entered  the  heads  of  families  in 
which  a  baptism  was  appointed.  So,  under  the  scorch- 
ing blaze  of  a  summer's  sun,  or  over  glassy  ice,  or 
through  heavy  snowdrifts  in  winter,  the  pastor  tramped 
for  miles  and  miles,  and  by  evening  was  almost  too 
exhausted  to  stand  up  in  his  pulpit,  f  Of  course  the 
good  people  who  made  these  demands  had  no  idea  of 
the  physical  strain  involved.  No  wonder  that  in  St. 
Johannis,  sustained  neither  by  ancient  law  nor  popular 
custom,  Sunday  baptisms,  except  in  the  church,  were 
abolished. 

In  addition  to  the  care  of  all  the  churches   Pastor 
Spaeth  was  very  soon  called  upon  for  literary  work  to 

*  St.  James,  (Jacobus)  was  an  independent  congregation  from  the 
first. 

t  "Sermon  in  the  crowded  St.  Paul's  church.  Then  two  baptisms 
and  two  funerals,  so  that  I  scarcely  found  time  to  eat." — "Sermon 
in  St.  Paul's,  two  funerals  in  Southwark,  evening  sermon  in  St. 
Michael's." — "From  4  a.  m.  on,  frightful  snow-storm.  Church  very 
empty.  After  dinner  a  funeral.  Awning  over  the  grave,  snow 
knee-deep.  Got  home  all  right,  but  how  about  St.  Michael's  this 
evening?" — "My  Diary  shows,  if  nothing  else  does,  that  I  am 
gradually  becoming  dry  and  prosy, — a  real  Philister  before  my 
time." 


LITERARY  WORK  9* 

which  he  felt  himself  unequal,  but  which  was  forced 
upon  him.  Before  he  had  been  two  months  in  the 
country  Dr.  Schaff  asked  him  to  contribute  to  his 
homiletical  Journal.*  "Dare  I  do  that?"  he  questions; 
"is  not  the  bare  thought  of  doing  such  a  thing  pre- 
sumptuous and  foolhardy  on  my  part?"  But  his  first 
sermon  appeared  in  January,  1865,  nevertheless,  and 
others  followed.  Later  on,  the  Ev.  Kirchenzeitung,  the 
S.  S.  Lehrer  f  and  other  work  on  the  Zeitschrift  "take 
entirely  too  much  time!"  "The  wretched  stuff  for  the 
Zeitschrift,  for  which,  the  longer  I  keep  at  it  the  less 
fitted  I  feel,  interferes  even  with  my  preparation  for 
the  pulpit."  (Diary.)  Such  work,  combined  with  the 
overwhelming  task  of  parish  visiting,  made  serious  in- 
roads on  the  regular  study  hours  needed  not  only  for 
his  sermons,  but  also  for  his  own  culture  and  mental 
growth.  He  had  fallen  into  somewhat  desultory  habits 
of  reading  in  Scotland,  and  was  often  in  despair  over 
the  difficulty  he  found  in  concentration  and  perseverance. 
He  tried  early  rising  in  order  to  gain  time  for  study, 
but  "breakfast  and  the  newspaper  took  so  long!"  He 
planned  out  his  work  the  night  before,  and  perhaps  a 
tiresome  visitor  would  rob  him  of  the  best  morning 
hours.  His  reading  during  these  years  was  largely  re- 
ligious biography,  sermons  and  biblical  notes.  He  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  "one  thing  most  necessary 
for  me,  for  which,  with  the  help  of  God  I  will  earnestly 
strive,  is  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  its  language,  its  ideas, 
its  way  of  looking  at  things ;  and  to  draw  this  knowledge 

*The  Evangelische  Zeugnisse,  founded  by  Dr.  Schaff  in  1863 
and  published  monthly  by  Ig.  Kohler.  It  existed  for  three  years, 
and  as  Dr.  Schaff  was  absent  in  Europe  most  of  this  time,  Dr. 
Mann  edited  it  for  his  friend,  though  with  no  great  personal 
interest  in  it. 

t  During  the  year  1868  this  was  a  department  of  the  Zeitschrift, 
appearing  weekly,  and  was  conducted  entirely  by  Pastor  Spaeth. 


92  THE  NEW  WORLD 

at  the  fountain-head,  before  it  passes  through  the  con- 
duit of  commentaries,  sermons  and  dissertations  is  un- 
doubtedly best, — from  time  to  time  at  least,  absolutely 
necessary."  Again,  he  deplores  his  dependence  on 
"leading  strings"  though  Stier  and  Lange  are  certainly 
edifying.  But,  "more  Bible  knowledge,  more  of  God's 
Word,  not  only  in  memory  (where  I  have  little  enough), 
but  in  my  heart's  blood,  and  thence  pulsing  through 
every  vein  in  true  vitality  and  power,  that  is  now  my 
greatest  need."     (Diary.) 

The  time  consumed  by  parish  visiting  was  not  so 
discouraging,  as  his  feeling  that  he  was  not  doing  the 
good  that  he  would  like  to  do,  that  might  be  done  and 
ought  to  be  done  by  a  pastor  among  his  people.  He 
was  timid  and  sensitive,  inexperienced  and  easily  dis- 
comfitted.  What  should  he  say  to  parents  at  the  coffin 
of  a  daughter,  when  the  chief  burden  of  their  lamenta- 
tion was  the  good  wages  she  had  been  earning?  How 
should  he  tell  an  over-pious  woman  that  she  was  a 
hypocrite,  and  that  she  knew  it?  How  should  he  deal 
with  a  clerical  brother  who  had  given  the  communion 
to  a  woman  whom  Pastor  Spaeth  was  still  testing  as 
to  her  fitness  for  it, — "an  opium-draught  to  a  dying 
soul?"  He  finds  a  sick  man  weak  and  listless,  a  condi- 
tion common  enough,  but  he  reproaches  himself.  "Do 
I  say  the  right  thing?  I  seem  to  myself  so  unpractical 
and  stupid  beside  a  sick-bed!"  Only  when  he  began  to 
visit  the  members  of  his  confirmation  class  and  was 
received,  almost  without  exception,  with  hearty  kindness 
and  interest,  he  felt  the  value  of  a  closer  personal  re- 
lation between  pastor  and  people.  Where  there  was 
simply  poverty  to  deal  with  he  had  no  trouble.  He 
spared  no  pains  in  interesting  others  also  in  such  cases, 
and  took  an  innocent  pride  after  his  marriage,  in  offer- 
ing to  "send  his  ladies"  to  see  what  was  needed.  In 
one  house  the  drunken  husband,  the  unbaptized  children, 


A  FAMILY  HISTORY  93 

the  sticky  little  fingers,  the  dirt  and  disorder  everywhere 
were  calmly  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  German 
man  had  married  an  American  woman!  Pastor  Spaeth 
took  courage  to  speak  to  her  and,  to  his  amazement, 
found  it  easier  to  admonish  in  English  than  in  German ! 
In  contrast  to  these  sordid  experiences  the  Erinne- 
rungen  contain  a  "family  history"  so  prettily  told,  so 
unusual  in  its  details,  so  complete  as  a  story,  that  it  may 
well  find  a  place  here.  "It  was  late  in  the  evening  of 
an  October  day  in  the  year  1865.  My  wife  and  sister 
had  just  said  good-night  and  gone  up-stairs,  when  the 
bell  was  violently  rung.  Opening  the  door  I  found  two 
men,  who  wished  to  speak  to  me  about  something  very 
important.  I  invited  them  into  the  parlor  to  hear  what 
they  had  to  say.  One  of  them  was  a  Scotchman, 
Captain  Duncan,  a  burly  sea-bear,  who  at  once  opened 
the  conversation  and,  in  an  uncouth,  excited  way,  laid 
the  matter  before  me.  I  was  to  come  immediately  to 
a  tavern  at  South  Street  Wharf,  to  marry  a  young 
couple  there.  The  ceremony  must  be  performed  that 
evening  without  delay.  The  bride  had  come  from 
South  America  to  Philadelphia  in  order  to  be  married 
here  to  a  German  Captain.  He  himself,  an  old  friend 
of  her  father,  had  given  his  word  of  honor  that  every- 
thing should  be  done  properly  according  to  the  usage  of 
the  Church.  But  he  was  obliged  to  leave  with  his  ship 
very  early  next  morning,  and  under  no  circumstances 
must  he  fail  to  witness  the  marriage.  They  had  called 
in  an  Episcopal  clergyman  in  the  neighborhood,  who 
had  begun  the  service.  But  when  he  came  to  question 
the  bride  the  discovery  was  made  that  she  understood 
no  English,  only  German  and  Spanish.  He  broke  off 
the  ceremony  and  insisted  that  a  German  minister  must 
be  found.  So  they  came  to  me.  The  whole  thing 
sounded  very  much  like  an  adventure.  The  designated 
locality  was  rather  notorious;  the  'inn'  where  this  wed- 


94  THE  NEW  WORLD 

ding  was  to  take  place  was  a  common  sailors'  tavern; 
the  hour  near  midnight!  I  confess  I  had  no  great 
desire  to  go  with  these  perfect  strangers  at  such  a  time. 
"In  order  to  gain  a  moment  for  quiet  thought  I  went 
up  to  my  study  to  fetch  my  Service  Book.  There,  on 
the  upper  stairs,  sat  my  wife  and  sister,  and  had  heard 
it  all.  They  were  very  much  disturbed  and  begged  me 
to  send  the  men  away,  and  not  take  so  great  a  risk. 
Singular  as  the  whole  story  was,  however,  the  rough, 
direct  way  in  which  the  Scotch  Captain  stated  the  case 
had  made  an  impression  of  veracity.  I  had  an  idea.  I 
reminded  my  visitors  of  the  great  distance,  the  late 
hour,  the  unpleasant  neighborhood  into  which  they 
wished  me  to  accompany  them,  and  suggested  that  it 
was  only  reasonable  that  they  should  order  a  carriage 
to  take  me  down  and  bring  me  back.  In  this  case  I 
was  willing  to  go  and  perform  the  marriage.  They 
agreed  at  once,  and  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  a  car- 
riage rattled  into  the  lonely,  quiet  street,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  go.  .  .  .  At  last  we  stopped  before  a 
house,  where,  from  the  lower  rooms,  we  were  greeted 
by  the  sound  of  fiddle  and  trumpet,  and  the  wild  shout- 
ing of  dancing  sailors.  In  the  'Office'  sat  the  Episcopal 
clergyman  whose  ministrations  had  been  so  unexpectedly 
interrupted.  From  him  I  learned,  in  a  few  words,  that 
everything  was  exactly  as  my  Captain  Duncan  had 
stated.  .  .  .  We  went  up-stairs,  and  there,  in  a 
perfectly  decent  'parlor,'  I  found  the  little  wedding 
company  assembled  around  the  handsomest,  stateliest 
couple  that  I  had  ever  seen.  The  bridegroom  was  a 
blond,  German  giant,  the  image  of  'unser  Fritz,'  the 
bride  a  southern  beauty,  with  dark  complexion  and 
black  hair,  exactly  the  opposite  to  the  man,  and  yet  the 
loveliest  contrast  that  one  could  imagine.  I  asked  the 
necessary  questions,  and  married  the  happy  couple.  It 
was  nearly  one  o'clock  when  I  returned  from  my  strange 


A  FAMILY  HISTORY  95 

ride,    and    quieted    the    apprehensions    of    my    family. 

"About  two  years  later  a  boy  entered  my  sacristy  with 
a  greeting  from  Captain  H.,  and  I  should  please  come 
out  to  Port  Richmond  and  christen  his  little  son.  'I  do 
not  know  any  Captain  H.,'  said  I.  'Who  is  the  man?' 
'Oh  yes,'  answered  the  boy,  'You  know  him.  You  mar- 
ried him  several  years  ago,  one  night,  at  South  Street 
Wharf!'  'That  is  who  it  is!'  I  cried,  surprised  and 
pleased.  'Yes,  I  have  certainly  not  forgotten  him.  I 
will  come  and  baptize  the  baby.'  The  next  after- 
noon I  went.  Far  up  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
city,  near  the  Delaware,  stood  a  cosy  little  house  in  a 
tiny  little  garden,  a  real  idyl  in  the  noisy,  restless 
metropolis,  and  there  I  found  my  young  couple  again, 
as  happy  parents.  I  baptized  their  handsome  boy,  and 
spent  the  greater  part  of  the  afternoon  with  them,  in 
pleasant  conversation  over  our  coffee. 

"Again  two  years  flew  by,  and  one  morning  there 
was  a  knock  at  the  door  of  my  sacristy  in  St.  Johannis 
church.  A  woman  entered,  heavily  veiled  in  black,  and 
with  a  baby  on  her  arm.  It  was  the  young  wife  of 
Captain  H.  Weeping  she  told  me  that  her  husband 
had  died  of  yellow  fever  in  Cuba,  and  that  she  intended 
now  to  return  with  her  children  to  her  father  in  South 
America.  I  baptized  the  second  little  son  at  the  font 
of  St.  Johannis,  and  then  we  parted  for  this  world. 
The  eldest  boy  must  be  forty  years  old  now.  I  wonder 
if  he  follows  his  father's  calling  on  the  sea?  Or  whether 
he  is  still  living?  Who  knows!  But  I  hope  their  names 
are  all  written  in  heaven,  as  they  are  in  the  church 
records  of  our  congregation !" 

For  the  Centennial  celebration,  May  13,  1866,  Dr. 
Mann  prepared  a  very  valuable  history  of  Zion's,  to 
which  was  appended  a  sketch  by  Pastor  Spaeth,  of 
what  lay  before  the  congregation  in  the  near  future. 
He  emphasized  the  duty  of  the  mother  congregation 


96  THE  NEW  WORLD 

to  her  scattered  members,  to  found  schools  and  Sunday 
schools  for  the  little  ones,  and  so  to  draw  the  parents 
through  the  children ;  to  keep  an  eye  on  the  young  people 
after  confirmation,  to  provide  not  only  for  their  spiritual, 
but  also  for  their  social  needs;  and,  when  they  felt  im- 
pelled to  cut  loose  from  the  German  church,  to  see  that 
they  went  into  our  English  congregations  instead  of 
being  lost  to  the  Lutheran  Church  altogether.  He 
pleaded  also  for  a  better  understanding  between  English 
and  German  Lutheran  congregations,  that  each  might 
learn  from  the  other  and  that  "by  laboring  hand  in 
hand,  the  work  of  both  should  prosper.  That  would 
prevent  many  a  split,  and  especially  would  it  preserve 
to  our  Lutheran  Church  much  of  the  force  and  endow- 
ment of  the  German  character  and  German  culture, 
though  in  an  English  dress."  * 

The  chief  problem  of  Zion's  during  the  three  years 
of  Mr.  Spaeth's  pastorate,  to  the  solution  of  which  he 
bent  all  his  energies,  was  the  peaceable  division  of  the 
overgrown  congregation  into  four  independent  churches. 
The  first  principle  of  concentration  had  prevailed  as 
late  as  1840,  when  St.  Paul's  was  founded,  not  as  a 
separate  congregation  but  merely  as  a  third  school  and 
preaching-station.  Only  in  1856,  through  Dr.  Mann's 
influence,  a  new  departure  was  made  in  building  St. 
James'  for  a  congregation  controlling  its  own  affairs,  and 
having  its  own  pastor.  There  was  a  widespread  and 
deeply  rooted  conviction  in  the  congregation  that  some- 
thing must  be  done,  and  desirable  building  lots  had 
already  been  secured  in  Southwark  and  at  15th  and 
Ogden  Streets.  These  two  districts  brought  all  their 
influence  to  bear  on  the  Vestry  of  Zion's,  Southwark 
furnishing  the  president  of  the  corporation,  Mr.  Boehm, 
and  the  Northwest  its  secretary,   Mr.   F.  C.    Schmidt. 

*  Festgruss  zum  Zions-Jubilaeum.     Der  ganzen  Gemeinde  gewid- 
met  von  ihren  Pastoren  W.  J.  Mann  und  A.  Spaeth,  1866. 


'J^tef/itY  cti    (Lsect    JZcgw.  J 


PLAN  FOR  DIVIDING  ZION'S  97 

Dr.  Mann  was  in  favor  of  the  proposed  changes,  but 
"he  who  goes  slowly,  goes  surely,"  and  he  was  in  dread 
of  a  too  rapid  and  radical  action,  which  would  frustrate 
the  object  of  which,  in  general,  he  approved.  For  his 
younger  colleague,  however,  the  restraints  of  reverence 
for  tradition,  which  held  back  one  more  closely  con- 
nected with  the  growth  of  the  congregation  than  him- 
self, did  not  exist.  .  .  .  "With  the  enthusiasm  of 
youth  I  threw  myself  into  the  reform  movement  and 
urged  it  on  wherever  opportunity  offered  to  put  in  a 
word  for  it."  A  house  had  been  rented  at  13th  and 
Coates  Street  (Fairmount  Ave.)  for  school  purposes, 
and  here  regular  meetings  were  held  by  those  interested 
in  the  proposed  church  of  the  Northwest.  Twice  in 
the  fall  of  1864  Pastor  Spaeth  attended  and  addressed 
these  meetings,  and  in  December  steps  were  taken  to 
bring  the  whole  matter  before  Zion's  congregation  for 
final  decision.  For  this  congregational  meeting  in 
January,  1865,  Pastor  Spaeth  paved  the  way  by  circu- 
lating a  printed  statement,  giving  a  plan  by  which  the 
division  could  be  made.  He  was  known  only  to  the 
President  of  the  Vestry  and  to  his  cousin,  Wilhelm 
Widmaier,  as  the  author  of  this  plan,  which  contem- 
plated the  erection  of  four  new  churches  with  means 
to  be  furnished  by  selling  the  very  valuable  property  still 
used  as  a  graveyard,  bounded  by  Race  and  Vine, 
Franklin  and  Eighth  Streets.  The  new  congregations, 
Emmanuel  and  St.  Johannis,  were  to  receive  $40,000 
each,  and  the  building  lots  already  owned  by  Zion's  in  the 
two  districts.  This  plan  was  adopted  essentially,  and 
finally  carried  out,  after  some  delay  in  getting  the 
consent  of  the  Legislature  to  the  sale  of  the  ground. 
The  vote  in  the  congregation  had  stood  254  for,  and 
115  against  the  sale.  The  opposing  minority  brought 
so  much  influence  to  bear  in  Harrisburg,  that  the  first 
decision  of  the  Legislature  rejected  the  petition  of  the 


98  THE  NEW  WORLD 

congregation.  In  his  farewell  sermon  in  Zion's,  Novem- 
ber 1 6,  1884,  Dr.  Mann  spoke  of  this  division  as  "really 
the  most  significant  event  in  the  nearly  150  years"  of 
Zion's  history. 

But  delay  was  not  what  St.  Johannis  wanted.  Steps 
were  taken  at  once  to  secure  subscriptions  to  the  build- 
ing fund,  until  nearly  $20,000  was  collected.  June  19, 
1865,  they  asked  permission  of  Zion's  Vestry  to  advance 
the  money  and  to  begin  building  on  the  lot  designed  for 
them.  "There  was  some  amusement  in  Zion's  over  this 
proposition,  which  most  people  did  not  take  very  ser- 
iously, for  such  energy,  such  boldness  in  going  ahead, 
was  unheard  of,  in  the  history  of  the  congregation." 
The  request  was  granted,  however,  without  much  debate, 
and  three  months  later,  September  18th,  in  a  pouring 
rain,  the  cornerstone  was  laid.  April  22,  1866,  the 
lecture  room  and  school  rooms  were  consecrated,  and 
at  once  occupied  by  the  Sunday  school  and  parish  school 
which  had  so  far  been  maintained  in  the  Northwest  by 
Zion's.  At  this  consecration  service  the  addresses  were 
made  by  Dr.  G.  F.  Krotel  in  English,  and  Pastor  Spaeth 
in  German.*  In  June  of  the  same  year  Pastor  Spaeth 
was  approached  as  to  his  willingness  to  accept  a  call 
which  the  new  congregation  intended  to  give  him.  "In 
the  evening  of  the  27th  of  June,  1866,  Mr.  Karl  Klenk 
and  Mr.  Fr.  C.  Schmidt  came  to  me  to  beg  me  to 
accept  a  call  about  to  be  extended  to  me  by  the  new 
St.  Johannis  congregation,  to  become  their  pastor.  This 
was  the  most  important  decision  I  had  been  called  upon 
to  make  since  I  determined  to  come  to  Philadelphia  from 
Scotland.  It  was  not  easy  for  me  to  decide.  The 
reasons  for  and  against  this  proposal  were  anxiously 
weighed.  .  .  .  The  new  field  drew  me,  with  the 
hope  that  I  could  here  live  and  work  with  my  people 

*  Geschichte  der  Ev.   Luth.   St  Johannis   Gemeinde,   zum   fuenf- 
undzwanzigjaehrigen  Jubilaeum  der  Kircheinweihung.     1893. 


THE  CALL  TO   ST.  JOHANNIS  99 

in  unrestrained  freedom.  It  would  be  far  easier  for 
Zion's  to  find  a  successor  for  me,  than  for  a  new 
mission  congregation  to  secure  their  first  pastor.  .  .  . 
I  would  get  away  from  the  party  spirit  of  the  old  con- 
gregation, which  sometimes  made  me  very  uncomfor- 
table. I  would  give  up  a  field  of  labor,  whose  demands 
I  felt  myself  entirely  incompetent  to  satisfy,  and  in 
exchange  would  have  a  far  wider  field,  to  which,  gradu- 
ally and  quite  unconsciously,  my  sympathies  had  been 
more  and  more  drawn.  That  there  were  some  serious 
objections,  on  the  other  hand,  I  did  not  attempt  to 
ignore."  Though  he  could  not  yet  pledge  himself,  he 
worked  during  the  summer  with  a  Committee  in  the 
Northwest  on  the  Constitution  for  the  proposed  St. 
Johannis  congregation,  which  was  unanimously  adopted, 
September  18th,  and  this  step  greatly  influenced  his 
decision.  On  the  12th  of  February,  his  wife's  birthday, 
the  formal  call  was  received,  and  after  much  thought 
and  consultation  with  his  pastoral  brethren,  was  ac- 
cepted. 

To  many  persons  in  Zion's  this  decision  of  their 
younger  pastor  was  not  only  unexpected  but  incompre- 
hensible, just  when  everything  was  in  such  fine  running 
order;  but  in  sending  his  resignation  to  the  Vestry  he 
could  truthfully  say:  "I  entered  the  congregation  with 
the  fixed  intention  of  working  for  its  division,  so  that 
every  portion  of  the  city  might  have  its  own  administra- 
tion and  its  own  pastor,  being  convinced  that  many 
dangerous  germs  of  dissension  would  thus  be  gotten  rid 
of,  that  for  the  work  of  the  individual  preacher  in  the 
saving  of  souls,  increased  efficiency  and  a  greater  bless- 
ing would  be  assured,  and  that  it  would  become  possible 
to  win  back  to  the  Church  hundreds  of  our  German 
countrymen  who  are  now  estranged  from  her.  For  this 
object  I  have  labored  since  October,  1864,  and  not  I 
alone,  but  all  of  us.     .     .     .     Meanwhile  the  work  has 


ioo  THE  NEW  WORLD 

gone  forward,  slowly,  but  in  spite  of  all  hindrances, 
steadily.  Two  daughter  congregations  have  been  formed 
from  the  mother  congregation,  and  the  work  done  in 
them  and  by  them  has  been  greatly  blessed.  One  of 
them,  Emmanuel,  has  its  pastor ;  the  other,  St.  Johannis, 
calls  me.  ...  I  see  in  St.  Johannis  not  a  strange 
congregation,  but  a  part  of  St.  Michael's  and  Zion's. 
And  if  I  now  take  charge  of  this  portion  of  the  old 
congregation  I  am  doing  what  I  have  wished  and  hoped 
to  do,  from  the  beginning,  and  what  I  would  in  any 
case,  sooner  or  later  do,  if  it  be  God's  will."  The 
Vestry  were  reluctant  to  let  Pastor  Spaeth  go,  and 
offered  a  considerable  increase  in  his  salary  if  he  would 
remain  in  Zion's,  but  in  vain.  "Were  not  my  wife  and 
sister  both  ready  to  drink  tea  and  coffee  henceforth 
without  sugar,  if  I  would  only  accept  the  call!" 

In  the  summer  of  1867  Dr.  Mann  went  abroad,  es- 
pecially to  visit  his  aged  mother,  after  a  separation  of 
nearly  twenty  years.  Pastor  Spaeth's  mother  took  the 
liveliest  interest  in  his  coming,  and  her  letters  at  that 
time  are  full  of  the  subject.  June  19th  she  writes:  "I 
am  not  at  all  envious  of  dear  old  Mother  Mann;  for  a 
meeting,  a  'Wiedersehen,'  behind  which  stands  the  black 
figure  of  a  certain  final  parting  for  this  life,  would  be 
to  me  a  painful  pleasure.  For  my  part,  I  would  like 
the  experience,  only  with  the  expectation  of  seeing  and 
having  one  another  again.  But  that  is  just  my  own  selfish 
wish.  I  leave  it  all  to  the  Lord;  but  I  must  tell  Him 
what  I  want!"  When  she  again  called  on  Mrs.  Mann 
the  American  visitors  were  there.  July  10th  she  wrote: 
"Dr.  Mann  brought  your  letters,  and,  with  the  splendid 
children,  sat  down  beside  me.     Of  course  everything 

he  told  me   was   most  interesting When 

he  spoke  of  the  new  position  in  St.  Johannis  he  thought 
if  you  had  been  ten  years  older  you  would  not  have 
taken  it.    You  are  the  right  man  for  Zion's,     .     .     . 


THE  INSTALLATION  101 

they  like  to  retain  their  pastors  and  are  proud  of  having 
kept  them,  up  to  this  time,  for  such  long  periods.  With 
deep  regret,  even  with  moist  eyes,  he  told  me  how 
much  he  loses  in  you  as  co-laborer.  But  he  loves  you 
none  the  less,  and  understands  you  well." 

During  Dr.  Mann's  absence  in  Germany,  Pastor 
Spaeth  continued  to  serve  St.  Michael's,  Zion's  and 
St.  Paul's  as  well  as  St.  Johannis,  through  the  summer 
of  1867,  which  was  made  possible  by  the  assistance  of 
Mr.  F.  P.  Mayser,  then  a  student  in  the  Seminary. 
Having  secured  a  house  near  St.  Johannis  (922  N.  15th 
Street),  he  was  obliged  to  move  into  it  in  June.  Every- 
thing possible  was  done  by  the  congregation  to  make 
their  pastor's  new  home  comfortable.  Only  at  one 
point  they  drew  the  line.  As  long  as  Pastor  Spaeth 
lived  in  Wood  Street  and  preached  on  Sunday  evening 
in  St.  Johannis,  a  grocery  wagon  with  three  chairs  had 
conveyed  him  and  his  family  to  the  church  and  back 
again.  "But  between  15th  Street  and  Zion's  there  was 
no  equipage!" 

Pastor  Spaeth  was  installed  in  St.  Johannis  on  the 
sixth  anniversary  of  his  ordination,  October  10,  1867, 
by  Dr.  G.  F.  Krotel,  then  President  of  Synod.  Pastor 
Brobst  read  the  service,  Dr.  Mann  preached,  and  many 
friends  from  the  old  congregation  were  present.  The 
same  evening  the  Maennerchor  of  St.  Paul's  under  the 
direction  of  their  leader,  Mr.  August  Schnabel, 
serenaded  their  late  pastor,  and  this,  with  similar  tokens 
of  good-will  on  the  part  of  the  older  congregation,  was 
most  gratifying  evidence  that  not  only  was  there  no 
resentment  of  his  action,  but  that  a  hearty  sympathy 
went  with  him  into  his  new  field. 


CHAPTER  V 

ST.    JOHANNIS 

Congregation  and  Parsonage 
1867-1893,  (1910) 

Christus  hat  das  Predigtamt  nicht  dazu  gestiftet  und 
eingesetzt,  dass  es  diene,  Geld,  Gut,  Gunst  und 
Freundschaft  zu  erwerben  oder  seinen  Vortheil  da- 
mit  zu  suchen,  sondern,  dass  man  die  Wahrheit  frei 
oeffentlich  an  den  Tag  stelle,  das  Boese  strafe  und 
sage,  was  zur  Seelen  Nutz,  HeH  und  Seligkeit  ge- 
hoert. — Luther. 

Immediately  after  Dr.  Mann's  return  Pastor  Spaeth 
had  taken  two  weeks  for  much  needed  rest,  visiting 
Reading  and  coming  for  the  first  time  into  closer 
contact  with  Pastor  Kuendig,  who  gave  him  many 
valuable  hints  from  his  experience.  Allentown  and 
Atlantic  City  were  also  included  in  this  trip.  In  Allen- 
town  he  visited  his  friend,  Pastor  S.  K.  Brobst,  "who 
had  long  ago  harnessed  him  to  the  wagon  of  his 
Lutherische  Zeitschrift  as  regular  correspondent,"  and 
now  wished  to  gain  him  for  the  Jugendfreund,  and  for 
the  Sonntagschullehrer,  a  department  of  the  Zeitschrift, 
which  began  in  January,  1868. 

He  wrote  at  that  time  an  explanation  of  the  Gospels 
in  questions  and  answers,  which  appeared  later  in  book 
form  and  was  used  for  years  as  a  text  book  for  Bible 
classes  in  his  own  and  other  Sunday  schools.  The 
Sonntagschullehrer  he  edited  practically  alone.  "With 
great  delight  I  threw  myself  into  the  Sunday  school 
work,  and,  in  my  first  enthusiasm,  may  well  have  looked 


THE  REFORMATION  JUBILEE  103 

at  things  now  and  then  through  rose-colored  glasses. 
At  least  I  made  the  impression  on  many  persons  that 
I  underrated  the  parish  school  as  over  against  the  Sunday 
school.  For  this  I  was  violently  and  mercilessly  at- 
tacked by  the  Schulblatt  of  the  Missouri  Synod,  to  the 
great  distress  of  good  Brother  Brobst.  I  tried  to  take 
it  as  a  lesson  to  me,  especially  as  good  friends  and  faith- 
ful men  like  J.  C.  Haas,  then  teacher  in  Zion's,  had  the 
impression  that  the  parish  school  was  not  treated  fairly 
in  my  articles."  One  excuse  for  Pastor  Spaeth's  posi- 
tion was  the  lamentable  state  of  the  parish  school  at 
that  time  in  St.  Johannis,  as  will  be  seen  later. 

On  the  Sunday  after  his  installation,  October  13, 
1867,  Mr.  Spaeth  preached  his  first  sermon  as  Pastor 
from  the  text,  Romans  15:  29,  30.  "I  am  sure  that, 
when  I  come  unto  you,  I  shall  come  in  the  fulness  of 
the  blessing  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  Now  I  beseech  you 
brethren,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  and  for  the 
love  of  the  Spirit,  that  ye  strive  together  with  me  in 
your  prayers  to  God  for  me." 

The  life  of  St.  Johannis  as  an  independent  congrega- 
tion, began  at  a  time  when  our  whole  Lutheran  Church 
was  preparing  to  celebrate  worthily  the  350th  anniver- 
sary of  the  Reformation.  On  Sunday  evenings  Pastor 
Spaeth  gave  a  series  of  six  historical  addresses,  intended 
to  make  his  people  familiar  with  the  great  work  of  the 
Reformation.  His  themes  were:  1.  The  Night.  2. 
The  Little  Star  in  the  night.  3.  The  Dawn.  4.  The 
Light  of  Day.  5.  Wandering  Lights.  6.  The  Duty  of 
the  Day.  For  the  chief  festival  on  the  31st  of  October, 
the  lecture  room  was  elaborately  decorated  with  a  fine 
oil  painting  of  Martin  Luther,  and  with  garlands  and 
mottoes,  to  which  were  added  the  chief  dates  of  the 
Reformation,  and  on  the  following  Sunday  these  formed 
the  outline  of  the  young  Pastor's  address  at  the  children's 
festival.    After  the  address  the  entire  Augsburg  Confes- 


io4  ST.  JOHANNIS 

sion  in  rhyme  was  given  by  twenty  of  the  scholars, 
who  received  Reformation  medals.*  In  the  same  week 
the  Friday  Luther-evenings  were  begun,  in  which  the 
most  important  of  Luther's  works  were  taken  up. 

On  the  First  Sunday  in  Advent  was  held  the  first 
communion  since  the  regular  organization  of  the  con- 
gregation, with  over  200  communicants.  Pastor  Spaeth 
was  pleased  that  so  many  came  to  him  privately  before 
the  communion.  He  had  provided  in  the  Constitution, 
and  had  laid  great  stress  on  it  in  his  first  sermon,  that 
no  one  should  come  unannounced  to  the  Lord's  table, 
the  rule  laid  down  in  the  Augsburg  Confession. 

For  seven  months,  until  the  upper  part  of  the  build- 
ing was  completed,  the  congregation  worshiped  in  the 
lecture  room  and  school  rooms,  holding  600-800,  and 
separated  by  sliding  glass  sashes.  The  seats  intended 
for  children  were  very  uncomfortable  for  adults.  The 
heat  was  often  oppressive  in  the  comparatively  low- 
ceiled  rooms.  But  that  made  no  difference  to  the 
throngs  that  attended  the  services.  The  steps  on  both 
sides  of  the  modest  pulpit  were  generally  occupied,  the 
people  standing  up  to  let  the  preacher  pass.  "It  was  a 
time  of  'first  love'  with  pastor  and  congregation,  on 
which  I  still  look  back  with  joy.  It  was  a  delight  to 
preach  to  these  masses,  who  seemed  to  have  a  real 
hunger  for  the  Word  of  God."  On  the  18th  of  July, 
1867,  in  furtherance  of  action  taken  in  a  congregational 
meeting  nine  days  before,  the  Council  resolved  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  completion  of  the  church. f     But  before 

*  These  were  probably  the  medals  struck  for  the  Jubilee,  and 
issued  by  the  Missouri  Synod.  They  were  sold  by  Pastor  Brobst, 
and  quite  widely  distributed  among  our  German   congregations. 

t  The  Diary  tells  how  Pastor  Spaeth  went  every  day  to  watch 
the  progress  of  the  building,  finding  always  something  new  to  ad- 
mire. At  first  he  had  been  afraid  it  would  be  too  large,  and 
sometimes  he   feared  the   plans  were  too   extravagant   for  the  re- 


A  DIFFERENCE  OF  OPINION  105 

this  could  be  done,  it  was  necessary  to  erect  on  three 
sides  of  the  building  a  high  iron  railing  as  defence 
against  the  unruly  boys  of  the  neighborhood.  Later, 
when  the  church  was  completed,  and  the  Pastor  had  his 
study  in  the  sacristy,  the  railing  was  no  defence  against 
showers  of  stones  and  the  general  rowdyism  by  which 
the  war  of  the  street  urchins  was  carried  on.  More 
than  once  the  young  Pastor  was  compelled  to  make  a 
sally,  and  capture  one  of  his  tormentors,  who  was  borne, 
shrieking  "Murder!"  to  the  dungeon  under  the  pulpit 
platform,  and  allowed  to  howl  there   for  an  hour  or 

two. 

The  architect  Durang  made  the  drawings  and  specifi- 
cations for  the  building,  which  were  accepted  by  the 
Council.  The  original  plan  consistently  carried  out  the 
Roman  style  with  the  round  arch,  and  had  shown  the 
chancel  furnished  in  correct  churchly  taste,  with  an  ele- 
vated altar  back  against  the  wall,  and  a  pulpit  at  the 
side.  "But  I  had  a  curious  experience  with  my  good 
vestrymen.  To  those  born  and  bred  Germans  and 
Swabians  the  architect's  drawing  was  'not  American 
enough!'  They  demanded  a  pulpit  in  the  centre  of  a 
great  platform,  rilling  up  the  entire  altar  niche,  and 
back  of  it  a  'real  American'  red  plush-upholstered  sofa 
must  be  placed!  For  the  altar  the  architect  was  not 
even  allowed  to  make  a  drawing.  T  will  attend  to  that 
myself  said  our  good  President,  a  skilled  carpenter,  but 
one  who  had  never  made  any  study  of  ecclesiastical  art 
or  architecture.  The  result  was  what  might  have  been 
expected.  Under  the  fantastic  curved  rococo  lines  of 
the  pulpit  stood  a  poor  little  cupboard,  called  an  altar, 
but  on  which  there  was  no  room  for  the  communion 
vessels  until  a  leaf  was  added,  so  that,  like  a  kitchen 

sources  of  the  congregation.  On  the  21st  of  December,  when  the 
scaffolding  was  removed,  the  church  won  thereby  "an  entirely  new 
and  most  friendly  appearance." 


106  ST.  JOHANNIS 

table,  it  could  be  made  larger  when  necessary !  Twenty- 
five  years  I  put  up  with  this  offence  to  my  own  churchly 

taste  and  that  of  others In  this  matter  I 

may  have  been  too  forbearing,  in  not  debating  the  ques- 
tion and  bringing  my  people  to  a  right  understanding. 
But  as  a  young  beginner  I  did  not  wish  to  throw  cold 
water  on  their  fresh  zeal  by  such  a  dispute  ...  so 
I  preferred  to  keep  silence  and  bide  my  time." 

In  October,  1867,  the  work  was  begun,  and  carried 
on  so  vigorously  all  winter  that  the  church  was  ready 
for  consecration  on  the  10th  of  May,  1868.  A  glorious 
day  followed  the  dull  weather  that  had  cost  many  an 
anxious  sigh,  and  as  large  a  congregation  as  the  lecture 
room  would  hold,  assembled  there.  The  Pastor  began 
with  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving,  the  congregation  sang 
the  chorale  "Lobe  den  Herren,  den  maechtigen  Koenig 
der  Ehren"  and  then  marched  to  the  main  door  of  the 
church,  led  by  pastors,  teachers,  Council  and  choir.  Dr. 
Mann  read  the  11 8th  Psalm;  the  assembled  thousands 
sang  "Tut  mir  auf  die  schoene  Pforte";  the  Pastor  un- 
locked the  door  in  the  Name  of  the  Father  and  of  the 
Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  people  streamed 
into  the  church.  The  act  of  consecration  was  performed 
by  Dr.  C.  F.  Schaeffer,  Pastors  Brobst  and  Grahn  as- 
sisted with  the  service,  and  Dr.  Mann  preached  the 
sermon.  In  the  afternoon  the  Sunday  school  celebration 
was  held.  The  special  services  continued  until  Thursday 
evening,  the  preachers  were  Pastors  Vogelbach,  Grahn, 
Vosseler,  and  Kuendig.  On  Monday  evening  an 
English  service  was  held  at  which  Dr.  Seiss  preached, 
the  singing,  however,  was  German.  At  all  of  these 
services  the  choirs  of  the  sister-congregations  sang, 
under  their  own  directors,  Messrs.  Haas,  Schnabel  and 
Roth.  A  few  weeks  later  the  first  class  of  52  members 
was  confirmed. 

The  course  of  the  summer  brought  other  festivals. 


THE  PARISH  SCHOOL  107 

The  dedication  of  the  bells,  July  17th,  drew  a  large  con- 
gregation. After  a  Psalm  of  praise  each  of  the  three 
bells  sounded  a  greeting,  one  after  the  other  giving 
twelve  strokes.  The  Vater  unser  was  accompanied  by 
the  smallest  bell,*  and  with  the  Amen  all  the  bells  fell 
in,  and  the  congregation  sang:  "Nun  danket  alle  Gott." 
To  our  people  the  sound  of  the  bells  is  an  echo  from 
their  childhood ;  and  the  greeting  of  the  Vater  unser  bell 
to  those  who  are  sick  or  unable  to  leave  home,  is  an  as- 
surance that  they  are  present  in  spirit  with  the  congre- 
gation, and  may  offer  with  them  their  common  prayer 
before  the  throne  of  God.  In  September,  1868,  a  fine 
pipe  organ  replaced  the  harmonium  which  had  so  far 
been  used  at  all  the  services.  In  its  consecration  the 
Pastors  of  St.  James'  and  St.  Paul's,  and  the  choir  of 
Zion's  took  part,  and  with  it  the  equipment  of  the  new 
building  was  completed. 

When  St.  Johannis  was  consecrated  the  parish  school 
still  belonged  to  Zion's,  and  was  only  transferred  to  the 
new  congregation  in  August,  1868.  The  teachers  not 
having  given  satisfaction  the  Vestry  decided  to  offer 
the  position  for  competition.  This  of  course  provoked 
the  old  teachers,  and  the  trouble  soon  spread.  The 
whole  choir  resigned  and,  under  the  leadership  of  the 
former  head-teacher,  left  the  church  in  a  body.  Every 
week  brought  to  the  Pastor  resignations  of  Sunday 
school  teachers.  The  prospect  was  gloomy  enough  and 
all  courage  and  pleasure  in  the  work  seemed  at  an  end. 
The  worst  of  it  was  that  the  Vestry  was  most  unfortu- 
nate in  its  choice  of  new  incumbents  so  that  the  result 
seemed,  at  least  in  part,  to  justify  the  opposition.  "One 
teacher,  clever,  accomplished,  and  a  gifted  musician, 
vanished  after  six  months  taking  the  school  funds  with 
him.     Another,  whom  Providence  had  seemed  to  send 

*  This  was  the  gift  of  the  Sunday  school  children,  and  bore  the 
appropriate  inscription :  Hosianna. 


108  ST.  JOHANNIS 

us  quite  unexpectedly,  through  the  Immigrant  Mission 
in  New  York,  was  an  unusually  cultivated  and  highly 
talented  man,  also  agreeable  in  his  manners,  who  gave, 
however,  such  repeated  offence  that  the  opposition  were 
confirmed  in  their  antagonism  to  the  Vestry.  So  the 
matter  stood  for  about  a  year." 

Meanwhile  the  election  of  Pastor  Emil  Riecke  in  St. 
Paul's  had  caused  much  disturbance,  not  only  in  that 
congregation,  but  also  among  Philadelphia  pastors  and 
in  the  Synod.  After  Pastor  Spaeth's  resignation  from 
Zion's  the  Vestry  were  anxious  to  call  another  Swabian 
as  his  successor,  but  no  suitable  candidate  could  be 
found  who  was  willing  to  come  to  America.  When  Dr. 
Mann  announced  that  Pastor  Riecke  had  been  highly 
recommended,  had  received  and  accepted  a  call,  his 
late  colleague  at  once  said:  "That  means  trouble."  He 
had  known  Riecke  as  a  boy  in  Esslingen,  and  after- 
wards in  the  University  where  they  were  classmates, 
and  did  not  think  that  he  could  adapt  himself  to  Ameri- 
can conditions.*  Pastor  Spaeth's  fears  were  only  too 
well  grounded.  In  the  Pastoral  Conference  Riecke  soon 
alienated  his  clerical  brethren  by  his  un-Lutheran  views 
as  to  the  relation  between  communicants  and  voting 
members  of  a  congregation.  When  he  threw  down  the 
gauntlet  by  printing  his  opinions  in  twelve  Theses,  and 
circulating  them  among  the  congregations,  Pastor 
Spaeth  could  no  longer  keep  silence.  In  the  Zeitschrift 
of  February  20,  1869,  he  published  a  warning  against 
these  views,  under  the  heading  "Stimmrecht  und  Abend- 
mahlsbesuch,"  which,  the  Theses  claimed,  have  nothing 
to  do  with  each  other ;  whoever  pays  toward  the  support 
of  a  congregation  should  have  a  vote  in  it!  Pastor 
Spaeth  replied:  "We  do  not  make  the  communion 
compulsory.     He  who  does  not  wish  to  come  to  it  may 

*  Pastor  Hole  wrote  of  him :    "He  might  do  for  Methodists." 


MR.  AUGUST  SCHNABEL  109 

listen  to  the  sermons  until  he  is  better  instructed     .     .     . 

.  and  feels  encouraged  to  come.  But,  he  who  does 
not  commune  is  not  a  member  of  the  congregation,  even 
if  he  pays  a  hundred  Dollars  a  year!" 

Probably  Pastor  Riecke  scarcely  realized  whither  his 
twelve  Theses  were  to  carry  him.  He  was  much  en- 
couraged and  praised  by  free  thinkers,  who  began  to 
swarm  into  St.  Paul's  until  they  formed  a  majority  in 
that  congregation.  But  when,  in  1870,  the  Synod  finally 
rejected  Riecke's  application  for  membership,  the 
minority  easily  obtained  an  injunction  against  his  offi- 
ciating further,  the  constitution  of  the  congregation 
clearly  stating  that  the  pastor  of  St.  Paul's  must  be  a 
member,  in  good  standing,  of  the  Pennsylvania  Minis- 
terium.  The  following  Sunday  Riecke  found  a  police- 
man at  the  door  of  his  (almost)  emancipated  church, 
and  Dr.  Mann  in  the  pulpit!  "This  appointment  called 
for  a  goodly  portion  of  personal  courage,  when  one 
thinks  what  sort  of  spirit  was  represented  in  the  so- 
called  'free  element,'  and  the  threats  they  had  made.  . 
.  .  And  sure  enough,  while  Dr.  Mann  was  preaching, 
suddenly  a  hailstorm  of  stones  thrown  by  the  champions 
of  freedom,  came  crashing  through  the  windows."  In 
spite  of  this  "incontrovertible  proof  that  they  were  right 
and  the  Synod  wrong"  half  a  dozen  of  them  spent  that 
Sunday  in  durance  vile,  while  Dr.  Mann  was  honorably 
escorted  home  by  a  strong  constables'  patrol.  Riecke's 
further  history  does  not  concern  us ;  but  for  St.  Johannis 
his  brief  career  in  Philadelphia  worked  great  and  lasting 
benefit.  The  teachers  in  St.  Paul's  had  resigned  their 
position  in  disgust,  and  one  of  them,  Mr.  August 
Schnabel,  was  at  once  called  to  St.  Johannis.  He  ac- 
cepted the  call,  and  in  February,  1870,  began  his  work 
as  head  teacher  and  organist,  continuing  until  his  death, 
March  5,  1885,  to  serve  the  congregation  faithfully  and 
well.     Pastor  Spaeth  found  in  him  not  only  a  co-worker 


no  ST.  JOHANNIS 

of  highest  value,  but  a  personal  friend  and  counsellor, 
honest,  open,  conscientious  and  fearless.  To  his  per- 
sistence and  warm  love  for  true  Lutheranism  in  doctrine 
and  practice  St.  Johannis  owed  it,  that  the  use  of  the 
Kirchenbuch  was  made  possible  in  a  fulness  almost 
unique.  Even  the  Psalms  in  the  Vesper  Service,  al- 
though quite  foreign  to  all  his  Swabian  ideas  and  tradi- 
tions, gradually  became  familiar  through  his  training  to 
both  schools,  and  to  the  congregation. 

Early  in  his  pastoral  work  Mr.  Spaeth  had  recognized 
the  importance  of  reaching  the  children  and  young 
people.  He  once  attended  a  children's  service  in  Dr. 
Newton's  church,  which  made  a  great  impression  on 
him.  In  his  Diary  he  writes:  "I  must  give  more  at- 
tention to  the  little  ones.  They  are  the  chief  material 
with  which  the  work  of  God's  kingdom  can  and  must 
be  done.  Woe  to  us  if  we  neglect  it!  Sunday  school, 
children's  sermons,  confirmation  instruction,  Young 
People's  Societies,  are  all  integral  parts  of  one  great 
work.  How  gladly  would  I  help  in  building  up  and  im- 
proving every  one  of  them."  In  St.  Johannis  he  was 
able  to  carry  out  his  wishes,  and  very  soon  introduced 
the  Kinderpredigt,*  or  sermon  to  children,  so  far  quite 
unknown  in  our  German  churches  here,  through  which 
he  brought  the  little  ones  into  better  acquaintance  with 
the  service  of  the  congregation. 

Unlike  the  parish  school,  the  Sunday  school  of  St. 
Johannis  had  prospered  from  the  beginning.  When 
Pastor  Spaeth  first  saw  and  addressed  it,  in  the  narrow 
quarters  at  13th  and  Coates  Streets,  on  Christmas  Day, 
1864,  there  were  300  children.  In  February,  1868, 
when  for  the  first  time  the  anniversary  of  the  Sunday 
school  was  celebrated  in  St.  Johannis,  the  number  had 
increased  to   500.      Beginning  with    1869  the   Sunday 

*  In  1871  he  published  "Brosamen  von  des  Herrn  Tische,"  six 
Sermons  for  the  Young,  which  were  very  favorably  reviewed. 


FESTIVAL   PROGRAMS  in 

school  anniversary  and  that  of  the  consecration  of  the 
church  were  united,  and  the  "ioth  of  May"  became  the 
double  anniversary  of  St.  Johannis.  In  more  than  one 
respect  this  was  a  happy  thought.  The  congregation 
was  thus  reminded  of  the  close  connection  between  its 
history  and  the  growth  of  the  Sunday  school.  The 
wealth  of  bloom  in  May  provided  the  profuse  decoration 
required  by  the  festival,  and  as  the  classes  filled  up  again 
after  the  depletion  caused  by  cold  weather,  the  necessary 
rehearsals  could  be  conducted  with  the  whole  body  of 
children.  Until  the  publication  of  the  Sonntagschul- 
buch  the  "Kleine  Missionsharfe"  of  Pastor  Volkening 
was  imported  by  the  hundred,  as  Pastor  Spaeth  was  not 
satisfied  with  the  compilations  offered  in  America.  For 
the  festivals  an  elaborate  program  was  prepared,  in 
which  children,  choir  and  congregation  all  took  part. 
"In  1869  St.  Johannis'  Sunday  school  began  to  print  its 
own  programs.  I  believe  we  were  the  first  to  introduce 
this  usage.*  .  .  .  For  a  few  years  other  sister  con- 
gregations also  made  use  of  our  program,  by  simply 
changing  the  title  page.  The  first  ioth  of  May  program 
was  printed  in  1870.  Based  on  the  Vesper  Service,  and 
carrying  out  a  given  theme  (the  Seasons,  the  Journey 
from  Egypt,  Martin  Luther,  the  Church,  and  many 
others),  these  programs  included  the  ancient  Psalm 
tones,  chorales  and  religious  Folk-songs,  in  addition  to 
the  music  for  the  choir.  All  of  the  numerous  rhythmical 
chorales  which  our  congregation  sings  with  so  much 
firmness  and  vivacity,  they  learned  from  and  with  the 
children."  Three  weeks  after  his  arrival  in  America 
Pastor  Spaeth's  Diary  complains  of  difficult  breathing, 
hoarseness,  loss  of  voice.  "For  years  I  had  'doctored' 
for  my  throat  and  voice,  without  much  result.     The 

*  In  1867  St.  Stephen's  printed  its  first  Christmas  program,  to 
which  the  now  well  known  hymns,  "The  happy  Christmas"  and  "A 
babe  is  born,"  were  contributed  by  Dr.  Krauth. 


112  ST.  JOHANNIS 

thing  that  cured  me  at  last,  that  developed  and  strength- 
ened my  voice  ....  was  the  singing  with  my 
Sunday  school  children!  That  may  sound  strange  to 
some  people.  When  my  dear  old  friend  Haas,  teacher 
in  Zion's,  once  visited  our  school  and  heard  how  the 
singing  went,  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  warn  me.  'That 
will  not  do  very  long,  Herr  Pastor.  You  will  kill  your- 
self !'  'So  be  it!'  said  I,  'whether  it  means  life  or  death, 
I  must  sing!'  "  (Erinnerungen.) 

At  the  time  the  church  was  consecrated  St.  Johannis 
had  no  choir.  A  large  harmonium,  at  which  Miss 
Spaeth  presided,  led  the  singing,  and  the  musical  reper- 
toire of  the  congregation  consisted  in  a  very  few 
chorales,  sung  in  the  customary  slow,  long-drawn-out 
way  which,  in  the  17th  century,  had  supplanted  the 
fresh,  rhythmical  chorale  used  at  the  time  of  the  Refor- 
mation. After  Mr.  Schnabel  took  charge  as  teacher  and 
organist,  he  soon  formed  two  choirs,  one  for  the  morn- 
ing service,  the  other  for  the  Vespers.  On  special  oc- 
casions both  were  available.  Through  the  parish  school  * 
as  well  as  the  Sunday  school  a  better  understanding  of 
Church  music  was  soon  developed  in  the  congregation. 
Pastor  Spaeth  gave  lectures  on  the  spiritual  Folk-song, 
and  the  hymns  of  the  Bohemian  Brethren,  illustrated 
by  the  choir,  which  paved  the  way  for  the  Sonntagschul- 
buch  (1875)  and  the  Kirchenbuch  (1877).  When  the 
latter  was  published  a  congregational  meeting  resolved 
to  adopt  it,  but  a  period  of  three  years  was  allowed  for 
the  change  from  Wollenweber  to  the  new  book,  and  the 
two  were  used  together  until  January  1,  1881,  when 
Wollenweber  was  finally  displaced  by  the  Kirchenbuch. 

"What  a  wealth  of  noble  treasures  from  the  old  choir 
and  congregational  music  became  familiar  to  our  people 

*  In  the  parish  school  Cantatas  were  frequently  given  with  great 
success,  including  duets,  trios  and  quartettes  well  rendered  by  the 
children. 


ST.  JOHANNIS'  CHOIR  113 

through  Mr.  Schnabel's  tireless  energy  and  self-sacri- 
fice! The  congregation  uses  more  than  one  hundred 
chorale  melodies.  The  choir  *  has  a  repertoire  of  nearly 
two  hundred  anthems,  etc.,  from  which  the  Pastor  need 
only  make  a  suitable  selection  in  arranging  the  services. 

.  .  .  .  During  Holy  Week,  from  Palm  Sunday 
evening  until  Easter  evening  there  is  a  liturgical  service 
every  day.  At  first  this  consisted  only  in  reading  from 
the  Passion  History,  with  chorales  interspersed.  Then 
my  choir,  always  ready  to  sing,  begged  to  contribute 
their  part  to  the  beautifying  of  the  Passion  Service,  and 
promised  that  we  should  have  a  choir  every  evening. 
So  now  we  have  the  Seven  Passion  Devotions,  prepared 
by  me  on  the  basis  of  Schoeberlein,  which  are  used 
every  year  from  beginning  to  end.  All  choir  music  with 
us  is  a  cappella,  without  accompaniment."  f  A  few 
months  after  Dr.  Spaeth's  death  the  old  choir  disbanded, 
and  the  ideal  conditions  here  described  no  longer  exist; 
though  every  effort  has  been  made  to  keep  up  the  tradi- 
tions of  St.  Johannis,  and  to  train  the  young  people 
as  rapidly  as  possible  worthily  to  fill  the  breach. 

In  Zion's  a  Young  People's  Society  had  been  founded, 
mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Siebott  and  Mr. 
Joseph  Bremer.  After  the  division  the  members  of  this 
society  formed  the  nucleus  of  similar  associations  in  the 
new  congregations.     The  most  important  of  these  in  St. 

*  Of  the  St.  Johannis  choir  Cantor  Roethig  of  the  Leipzig  Quar- 
tette wrote  in  1902:  "The  purity  and  precision  in  the  execution  of 
the  choir  singing  deserves  fullest  recognition,  especially  when  we 

consider  that  the  choir  is  composed  entirely  of  volunteers 

With  this  choir  Professor  Spaeth  has  fought  for  twenty-five 
years  to  introduce  the  old  Church  music  and  the  Liturgy.  It  is 
mostly  this  pioneer  work  that  we  must  thank  for  the  fact  that  our 
singing  in  the  United  States  has  found  such  fruitful  soil." 

t  This  custom  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Roth,  organist  in  1890, 
who  also  first  called  Dr.  Spaeth's  attention  to  the  Lutherfestspiel 
of  Hans  Herrig. 


H4  ST.  JOHANNIS 

Johannis  was  the  Lutherverein,  established  by  Pastor 
Spaeth  in  1873.  Its  object  was  to  hold  our  young 
people  in  the  congregation,  to  foster  their  interest  in  the 
doctrine  of  the  Church  and  in  a  living  Christianity,  to 
help  members  who  might  need  assistance,  and  to  pro- 
mote refined  and  improving  social  intercourse.  The 
regular  meetings  for  the  study  of  Luther's  writings, 
begun  by  Pastor  Spaeth  soon  after  his  installation,  were 
held  very  informally  in  one  of  the  school  rooms,  and 
were  well  attended  throughout  the  winter.  In  the  spring 
of  1886,  at  the  urgent  request  of  his  young  members, 
Dr.  Spaeth  began  the  Bible  class  which  met  every  other 
Wednesday  evening.  The  members  were  very  faithful 
and  regular  in  their  attendance,  and  a  society  for  assist- 
ing the  Zenana  mission  was  connected  with  it.  At  the 
meetings  of  the  Bibelklasse  whole  books  of  the  Old 
Testament  were  studied,  as  well  as  various  Epistles,  and 
the  book  of  Acts.  This  class  was  a  great  delight  to  Dr. 
Spaeth,  especially  after  he  ceased  to  be  full  pastor  of 
St.  Johannis,  in  1893,  as  it  kept  him  in  touch  with  his 
young  people,  most  of  whom  he  had  baptized.  He  writes 
to  a  friend:  "Now  I  am  only  'Fruehprediger'  having 
given  up  the  pastoral  work.  And  yet  I  continue  to  be 
called  the  'first  Pastor.'  ....  In  thirty  years  a 
whole  generation  grows  up,  among  whom  one  comes 
to  feel  at  home  like  a  father,  or  even,  at  last,  like  a 
grandfather.  Altogether,  in  our  free  Church  conditions, 
the  relation  between  pastor  and  people  is  a  much 
more  personal  one  than  it  can  ordinarily  be  in  the  State 
Church."  Since  Dr.  Spaeth's  death  the  Bibelklasse  has 
also  been  given  up. 

The  Frauenverein  (Dorcas  Society)  was  founded 
September  17,  1868,  largely  by  the  efforts  of  Mrs. 
Spaeth  and  Miss  Spaeth,  the  former  acting  as  Secretary 
for  some  years.  In  addition  to  its  specific  charitable 
work  it  has  contributed  generously  to  every  project  for 


REMODELING  THE  CHANCEL  115 

the  advancement  of  the  congregation,  as  indeed,  every  or- 
ganization connected  with  St.  Johannis  has  always  done. 

For  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  St.  Johannis  a 
complete  renovation  of  the  building  was  undertaken, 
and  the  classes  confirmed  in  the  first  twenty-five  years 
of  Dr.  Spaeth's  pastorate  asked  and  obtained  permission 
to  remodel  the  chancel  according  to  the  original  plan 
of  the  architect.  A  committee  of  one  hundred,  four 
from  each  class,  was  appointed  to  trace  out  the  scattered 
members,  and  beginning  in  1891,  was  wonderfully  suc- 
cessful. The  jubilee  offering  more  than  sufficed  to 
furnish  the  chancel  in  antique  oak,  and  to  provide  an 
altar  railing  in  fine  brass.  The  font,  candelabra,  altar 
linen  and  cross  were  presented  by  individual  members. 
September  9,  1893:  "In  May  of  this  year  my  dear 
St.  Johannis  congregation  celebrated  its  twenty-fifth 
Jubilee.  Those  were  beautiful,  never-to-be-forgotten 
days.  Members  who  had  been  confirmed  in  the  last 
twenty-five  years  joined  together  under  my  direction, 
and  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  gathered  a  Jubilee 
Fund  of  $2,000.  With  this  I  rebuilt  our  whole  chancel 
in  pure  churchly  style;  a  new  altar,  lectern,  pulpit  and 
stalls,  with  altar  cloths,  etc.,  in  the  five  church  colors, 
embroidered  for  us  by  the  Deaconesses  in  Neu  Dettelsau. 
You  would  find  it  all  Very  high-church !'  I  feel  that  it 
is  in  necessary  harmony  with  our  glorious  liturgical 
service.  I  have  been  patient  for  a  long  while  with  the 
former  tasteless  arrangement.  Now  I  rejoice  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,  that  everything  is  so  beautifully 
and  suitably  reconstructed. 

"The  celebration  of  the  Jubilee  continued  four  days; 
on  Sunday  morning  the  chief  service  with  festival 
sermon;  Sunday  evening  a  reunion  of  the  confirmation 
classes  of  twenty-five  years,  when  700  out  of  1200  came 
together;  Monday  evening  a  Mission  festival.  On 
Tuesday  evening  a  great  church  concert,  though  not  in 


n6  ST.  JOHANNIS 

concert  style,  but  in  the  form  of  a  choral-vesper,  where 
between  the  Scripture  Lessons  the  most  beautiful  choir 
and  congregational  church  music  was  given.  I  had 
drilled  the  choir  for  it,  and  directed  the  singing.  Palaes- 
trina,  Eccard,  Praetorius  and  the  other  old  Masters 
received  their  due,  and  our  festival  guests  could  get  a 
taste  of  the  sort  of  music  we  have  in  St.  Johannis;  for 
most  of  the  pieces  are  in  regular  use  with  us.  On 
Wednesday,  the  tenth  of  May,  we  closed  with  the  usual 
Sunday  school  anniversary."     (A.  S.  to  Hole.) 

For  the  fortieth  anniversary  in  1908  the  church  was 
again  renovated,  and  the  fine  memorial  windows  were 
added.  One  of  these,  Jesus  among  the  Doctors,  was  the 
gift  of  the  confirmation  classes.  In  1910  the  inscription 
was  altered  to  make  it  a  memorial  to  the  first  Pastor. 

St.  Johannis  Parsonage 

Early  in  his  pastorate  in  St.  Johannis  Mr.  Spaeth 
had  once  amused  his  Sunday  school  by  alluding  to 
himself  as  a  "kinderlose  Vater."  In  1868  this  anomaly 
was  happily  ended  by  the  birth  of  his  first  child,  John 
Duncan,  Sunday,  September  27th.  The  proud  joy 
of  the  young  parents  was  scarcely  greater  than  that  of 
the  venerable  grandfather  in  Edinburgh,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1869,  Mrs.  Spaeth  undertook  the  long  journey 
alone,  in  order  to  gratify  Dr.  Duncan  with  the  sight  of 
the  boy.  He  taught  him  to  make  a  step  or  two,  hold- 
ing tight  to  grandpapa's  stick,  and  when  the  travellers 
returned  to  Edinburgh  after  a  visit  to  Esslingen,  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  little  fellow  taking  his  first 
steps  alone.  Six  months  later,  February  26,  1870,  Dr. 
Duncan  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 

In  June,  1871,  after  a  serious  attack  of  inflammation 
of  the  lungs,  Mrs.  Spaeth  again  went  abroad,  this  time 
with  her  husband  and  two  children,  the  younger,  Hein- 
rich  Douglas,  only  eight  months  old.     Both  boys  were 


THE  CHILDREN  117 

suffering  with  whooping  cough,  "which  greatly  increased 
the  difficulties  of  the  journey;  poor  papa  jumping  out 
of  his  berth  every  half-hour  to  hold  up  baby  when  the 
coughing  came  on,  and  getting  very  sea-sick  before  he 
managed  to  tumble  back  again."  (Memoir.)  After  a 
short  visit  to  friends  in  Edinburgh,  the  travellers  went 
on  to  Germany,  whither  Miss  Spaeth  had  preceded  them 
by  a  few  months.  It  was  just  at  the  time  when  the 
victorious  German  troops  were  returning  from  France; 
everywhere  were  triumphal  arches,  flags  and  garlands. 
Soon  after  crossing  the  Dutch  frontier  they  passed  the 
fortifications  of  Wesel.  "There  was  a  wonderful 
spectacle.  Thousands  of  French  prisoners  in  their  red 
breeches  swarmed  like  so  many  ants,  within  the  walls 
of  the  fort.  I  lifted  my  first-born  to  the  car  window: 
'Look  out,  my  boy!  You  will  never  see  anything  like 
that  again !  Seven  thousand  captive  Frenchmen  to  wel- 
come us  to  Germany!'"     (Erinnerungen.) 

During  the  Pastor's  absence  St.  Johannis  had  been 
faithfully  served  by  his  friend  Dr.  Notz.  On  the  fif- 
teenth of  September  an  enthusiastic  reception  was  given 
to  the  returning  Pastor,  in  which  council  and  congrega- 
tion, Sunday  school  and  friends,  clerical  and  lay,  took 
part,  and  for  which  the  church  was  elaborately  decorated. 
Mrs.  Spaeth,  who  had  again  been  ill  for  six  weeks  in 
Esslingen,  was  able  to  enjoy  it  from  a  quiet,  sheltered 
corner  in  the  church. 

Pastor  Spaeth's  third  child  and  first  daughter,  Maria 
Elisabeth,  also  a  Sunday  child,  was  born  in  the  Fifteenth 
Street  house;  but  in  1873  the  family  removed  to  the 
parsonage,  161 5  Girard  Avenue,  where  they  remained 
for  the  next  twenty  years.  Here,  in  quick  succession, 
three  sons  were  added  to  the  little  flock;  Ernst  Philipp 
(November,  1874),  Adolph  (December,  1875),  an<* 
Martin  Theodor  (February,  1877).  But  the  mother's 
health  failed  visibly  from  year  to  year,  after  the  two 


n8  ST.  JOHANNIS 

severe  attacks  in  187 1.  In  1874  she  was  greatly  com- 
forted by  the  return  of  her  sister-in-law  to  America, 
not  indeed  to  St.  Johannis  parsonage,  but  to  Easton  as 
the  wife  of  Pastor  Philip  Pfatteicher,  and  so  within 
easy  reach. 

Mrs.  Spaeth  had  always  felt  the  extreme  heat  of 
summer  in  Philadelphia,  and  after  spending  several 
seasons  in  Pughtown,  Reading,  and  Ocean  Grove,  found 
that  sea  air  was  most  beneficial  to  her.  In  1876  a  lot 
was  secured  in  Sea  Grove,  later  Cape  May  Point,  N.  J., 
and  here  a  small  cottage  was  built.  Early  in  this  year 
she  had  been  reluctantly  compelled  to  give  up  her  beloved 
Bible  class  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  to  resign  her  post 
in  the  Ladies'  Society.  The  first  summer  in  Sea  Grove 
was  very  sad.  Mrs.  Spaeth  herself  appeared  to  derive 
great  benefit  from  it,  but  from  the  beginning  there 
seemed  no  hope  of  saving  her  own  little  Adolph  or  his 
baby  cousin  Anna  Pfatteicher,  both  of  whom  had  been 
brought  from  Philadelphia  extremely  ill.  Little  Anna 
was  taken  first,  and  not  many  weeks  later,  as  he  entered 
the  pulpit,  Pastor  Spaeth  received  the  telegram  telling 
him  of  the  death  of  his  little  son. 

May  27,  1878,  Pastor  Spaeth  writes:  "Since  last 
fall  I  have  moved  my  study  over  from  the  church  to 
the  house,  in  order  to  be  nearer  my  family,  at  least 
when  I  am  at  home.  That  is  only  at  the  cost  of  many 
a  working  hour.  .  .  .  My  health  has  not  been  good 
since  Christmas.  Toward  Easter  I  was  so  hoarse  that 
for  several  weeks  I  was  obliged  to  give  up  my  hours 
in  the  Seminary.  After  the  Easter  Week  with  its  daily 
services  was  over,  I  went  down  to  the  sea  for  a  few 
days,  leading  a  sort  of  Robinson  Crusoe  life  in  our 
cottage  there,  in  deepest  solitude.  I  worked  in  the 
garden,  sodded,  planted  trees,  laid  out  beds  and  dragged 
in  the  earth  for  them,  refreshing  myself  between  these 
labors  with  a  fine  sea-bath — in  April!     That  did  me 


THE  LECTURE  FIELD  119 

good,  and  I  came  back  to  the  arena,  tired  indeed  in 
body,  but  greatly  strengthened  and  hardened.  I  needed 
special  strength  for  all  the  possible  and  impossible  extra 
work,  which,  without  thinking,  I  had  accepted  for  these 
last  weeks.  I  have  been  giving,  partly  here  in  the  city, 
partly  in  other  towns  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey, 
a  number  of  lectures  on  different  subjects;  for  example, 
the  Hymns  of  the  Bohemian  Brethren,  the  latest  dis- 
coveries in  Central  Africa,  etc.  These  lectures,  as  you 
probably  know,  belong  in  this  country  to  the  standing 
auxiliaries  of  the  church  treasuries,  with  which  it  is 
customary  to  help  out  a  little  when  a  deficit  is  imminent. 
The  great  lecturers,  like  Beecher  and  Company,  are  very 
successful  in  filling  their  own  pockets.  One  of  us,  how- 
ever, has  the  honor  and  the  pleasure  of  merely  helping 
his  poor  fellow-believers  to  a  larger  or  smaller  'round 
little  sum.'  ...  In  the  last  weeks  I  have  also  writ- 
ten my  first  longer  English  Essay,  which  has  appeared 
in  print,  A  History  of  Our  General  Council  for  the  last 
ten  years.  I  wrote  it  for  a  larger  work:  'Fifty  years  in 
the  Lutheran  Ministry,'  published  by  a  certain  Dr. 
Morris  in  Baltimore."     (A.  S.  to  Hole.) 

From  this  time  on  until  the  end,  the  Memoir  is  rightly 
called  "Leidenszeit."  With  wonderful  energy  Mrs. 
Spaeth  still  planned  for  house  and  children,  and  even 
took  short  journeys  now  and  then.  But  in  July,  1878, 
she  wrote  to  Mutterle,  in  her  last  letter  to  Esslingen: 
"So  long  as  it  could  look  as  if  I  were  only  seeking  help 
for  myself  I  had  not  the  courage  to  ask  for  one  of 
the  sisters — I  do  it  now  not  for  my  own  sake — I  do 
not  believe  that  I  will  live  very  much  longer, — but  for 
the  sake  of  Adolph  and  the  children."  To  a  dear  friend 
in  Edinburgh  she  wrote:  "It  seems  as  if  the  sea  air 
which  used  to  do  me  so  much  good  was  now  too  strong 
for  me,  .and  instead  of  soothing  and  strengthening  me 
as  it  used  to  do,  irritates  the  cough.     ...     I   feel 


120  ST.  JOHANNIS 

quite  melancholy  that  my  dear  old  friend,  the  ocean, 
and  I,  can't  agree  as  we  used  to  do,  for  I  would  so 
enjoy  it  here." 

As  the  end  drew  near  she  suffered  much  from  spiritual 
depression  and  doubt.  Her  husband  told  her  once  of 
Luther's  saying:  "We  cannot  prevent  the  birds  from 
flying  over  our  heads,  but  we  need  not  let  them  build 
nests  there."  Later  she  alluded  to  her  distressing 
thoughts  as  "little  birdies  of  unbelief."  A  few  days 
before  her  death  she  said:  "I  must  have  a  clear  set  of 
words  to  embody  all  that  is  necessary  in  a  dying  hour. 
How  shall  I  express  it?"  Her  husband  gave  her  Luther's 
explanation  of  the  Second  Article  of  the  Creed:  "I 
believe  that  Jesus  Christ,  true  God,  begotten  of  the 
Father  from  eternity,  and  also  true  man,  born  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  is  my  Lord;  who  has  redeemed  me,  a 
lost  and  condemned  creature,  secured  and  delivered  me 
from  all  sin,  from  death  and  from  the  power  of  the 
devil,  not  with  silver  and  gold,  but  with  His  holy  and 
precious  blood,  and  with  His  innocent  sufferings  and 
death;  in  order  that  I  might  be  His,  live  under  Him  in 
His  kingdom,  and  serve  Him  in  everlasting  righteous- 
ness, innocence  and  blessedness;  even  as  He  is  risen 
from  the  dead,  and  lives  and  reigns  to  all  eternity.  This 
is  most  certainly  true."  As  he  began  she  exclaimed 
eagerly:  "That's  it!"  and  followed  word  for  word. 
She  died  on  the  twenty-first  of  December,  1878,  St. 
Thomas'  Day,  "and  as  to  the  Apostle  of  old,  so  it  was 
granted  to  her  after  all  her  perplexities,  to  come  off 
triumphant  in  the  blessed  light  of  that  victorious  faith 
and  confession:    'My  Lord,  and  my  God!'  "  (Memoir.) 

The  Memoir  which  has  been  so  frequently  quoted, 
was  compiled  within  a  few  months  after  Mrs.  Spaeth's 
death,  the  last  chapter  being  written  in  English  for  the 
sake  of  the  Scotch  friends.  They,  as  well  as  friends  in 
St.  Johannis,  read  it  with  great  interest,  and  it  was 


THE  MEMOIR  121 

widely  distributed  abroad,  even  as  far  as  Constantinople. 
Dr.  J.  Ruperti  writes:  "I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart 
for  the  'In  Memoriam'  and  for  the  benefit  I  have  de- 
rived from  reading  it;  and  also  for  this  proof  of  your 
friendship  in  counting  me  among  the  circle  nearest  to  you 
and  the  dear  one  who  is  gone.  But  what  a  painful  task 
the  preparation  of  the  book  must  have  been  to  you! 
All  the  wealth  of  old  reminiscences — and  the  contrast 
with  the  lonely  present!"  One  friend  who  had  dis- 
tributed a  number  of  copies  wrote:     "Old  Jessie , 

who  had  reminiscences  of  Maria  in  her  childhood,  was 
very  much  pleased  with  it  all,  that  is,  with  all  the 
English.  But  considering  it  necessary  also  to  read  the 
German  her  patience  was  apt  to  get  exhausted  at  a  long 
screed,  and  she  would  say:  'I  canna  mak'  ony  sense  o' 
that  Frainch' — or:  'I  wish  he  had  na  put  in  sae  much 
Gallic  (Gaelic)!'"  (Letter,  M.  H.  R.) 

During  the  summer  of  1879  Dr.  Spaeth  was  in  Europe 
with  two  of  his  children,  visiting  Edinburgh  and 
Esslingen,  where  the  little  daughter  was  left  with  her 
grandmother.  In  Scotland  he  made  a  tour  of  all  the 
localities  most  closely  associated  with  Dr.  Duncan's  life. 
From  Esslingen  he  went  to  Tuebingen,  and  took  part 
in  the  celebration  of  the  Jubilee  of  the  Liedertafel,  at 
which  his  mother  and  brother  were  also  present.  As 
he  was  returning  to  America  on  the  Belgenland,  a 
Norwegian  bark  collided  with  the  steamer  and  was  cut 
in  two.  Five  lives  were  lost,  the  rest  of  the  men  were 
saved  by  the  prompt  and  heroic  action  of  Captain 
Jackson  and  his  officers.  This  was  the  nearest  approach 
to  a  serious  disaster  that  Dr.  Spaeth  ever  made,  in  all 
his  many  voyages  across  the  Atlantic. 

In  the  beginning  of  December,  1879,  ne  sPent  several 
days  in  Rideau  Hall,  Ottawa,  as  the  guest  of  his  old 
friend  Lord  Lome,  at  that  time  Governor  General  of 
Canada.     Lord  Lome  had  taken  tea  with  him  in  Phila- 


122  ST.  JOHANNIS 

delphia  thirteen  years  before,  while  travelling  in  the 
United  States.  Dr.  Spaeth  enjoyed  greatly  seeing  the 
noteworthy  buildings  of  the  city,  and  meeting  the  dis- 
tinguished guests  who  assembled  every  evening  at  the 
dinner  table.  Most  of  all  he  enjoyed  the  quiet  hour 
afterwards,  in  Lord  Lome's  study,  where  they  compared 
notes  on  literary  subjects,  or  talked  about  the  little 
motherless  flock  in  Philadelphia,  whose  photographs 
Dr.  Spaeth  had  taken  with  him.  During  his  stay  Lord 
Lome  insisted  on  his  using  a  fine  military  cloak,  fur- 
lined,  as  the  climate  was  so  much  more  severe  than  that 
to  which  he  was  accustomed.  Whenever  he  went  out 
in  it  all  the  sentries  saluted,  and  we  may  be  quite  sure 
that  he  returned  the  salute  with  perfect  decorum,  and 
most  impressive  gravity.  When  they  parted  Lord  Lome 
exclaimed:  "No  thirteen  years  this  time,  Herr  Spaeth, 
until  we  see  each  other!  I  hope  it  will  not  even  be 
thirteen  months."  But  though  they  continued  to  ex- 
change letters,  they  never  met  again. 


On  the  twelfth  of  October,  1880,  Dr.  Spaeth  married 
Harriett  Reynolds,  only  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  Porter- 
field  Krauth.  The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Dr. 
Krauth  at  Cranford  Cottage,  Miss  Krauth's  residence,* 
in  the  presence  of  a  small  circle  of  relatives.  Next  day 
the  process  of  dismantling  the  pleasant  little  home  was 
begun,  and  on  the  sixteenth  Mrs.  Spaeth  took  passage 
for  Antwerp  on  the  same  ship,  the  Belgenland,  on  which 
Dr.  Krauth  had  just  returned  from  Europe.  While 
she  had  already  a  working  knowledge  of  literary 
German,  she  needed  more  practical  experience  in  under- 

*  One  of  our  older  ministers  calling  at  Cranford  Cottage  asked 
the  meaning  of  the  name  and  was  told:  "Cranford  was  a  village 
in  England,  where  ladies  of  a  certain  age  devoted  their  lives 
to  making  both  ends  meet!"  "I  see!"  said  the  good  man,  beam- 
ing;  "How  very  appropriate!" 


DR.  SPAETH'S  SECOND  MARRIAGE  123 

standing  and  using  the  spoken  language,  before  taking 
her  place  as  house-mother  in  a  German  home,  and 
Pfarrfrau  in  the  congregation.  A  few  weeks  later,  in 
answer  to  the  question  what  his  fellow  countrymen 
thought  of  his  marrying  an  American,  Dr.  Spaeth  wrote: 
"My  'fellow  countrymen'  especially  those  German 
brethren  who  are  loudest  in  their  demands  for  'German' 
in  Synodical  life,  and  most  jealous  of  any  seeming  in- 
fringement in  that  line,  have  found  out  long  ago  that 
my  house,  under  the  management  of  my  Scotch  wife 
was  the  most  German  of  all,  without  my  clamoring 
about  'Deutsch,  Deutsch!'  and  in  spite  of  my  readiness 
for  the  English  language  wherever  the  prosperity  of  the 
Church  seemed  to  call  for  it.  Your  trip  to  Germany  at 
the  very  beginning  of  our  matrimonial  life  will  convince 
them  that  there  is  a  perfect  understanding  between  us 
on  that  point,  that  we  are  ready  to  maintain  the  family 
tradition  which  is,  to  preserve  all  that  is  good  and  beau- 
tiful in  the  German,  and,  at  the  same  time,  always  re- 
member that  we  are  working  at  home  as  well  as  in  the 
Church,  for  an  English  speaking  future  on  English 
speaking  ground." 

In  February,  1881,  Mrs.  Spaeth  came  home,  and  in 
July  a  more  conventional  wedding  trip  was  taken,  in- 
cluding Newport  and  Boston.  The  Biography  of  Dr. 
Krauth  gives  a  picture  of  his  pleasure  in  the  new 
dignity  of  grandpapa  so  suddenly  thrust  upon  him.  In 
December,  1881,  he  held  his  own  first  grandchild  in  his 
arms,  and  two  weeks  later  stood  beside  the  little  coffin 
in  which  so  many  hopes  were  laid  away. 

The  New  Year,  1883,  began  with  heavy  loss  and 
deep  sorrow.  "On  the  2d  of  January  at  noon,  our  dear 
Father  Dr.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth  went  to  his 
eternal  rest.  We  had  never  been  willing  to  believe  in 
the  seriousness  and  danger  of  his  illness,  and  so  the 
end  came  unexpectedly,  in  spite  of  his  long,  gradual  de- 


124  ST.  JOHANNIS 

cline.  With  a  heavy  heart  our  Church  calls  after  him, 
'the  chariot  of  Israel,  and  the  horsemen  thereof !' " 
(Diary.)  Dr.  Ruperti  wrote:  "What  a  blow  for  all 
who  loved  him,  and  who  can  count  them!  What  an 
irreparable  loss,  especially  to  the  General  Council  whose 
good  Genius  he  always  was ;  the  best,  the  mightiest,  and 
at  the  same  time  the  humblest;  the  most  beloved,  the 
most  feared;  sword  and  shield  at  once.  I  count  it  one 
of  the  blessings  conferred  on  me  by  my  gracious  God 
in  America,  that  I  could  know  and  love  Dr.  Krauth." 
(Letter,  January  20th.) 

Only  a  few  weeks  later  a  second  blow  fell  upon  the 
sorrowing  family  in  the  death  of  little  Martin,  just  as 
he  was  entering  on  his  seventh  year.  His  dying  mother 
had  said  of  him:  "He  will  be  your  comforter!"  and 
never  was  truer  word  spoken.  His  sunny,  loving  dis- 
position; his  bright,  resolute  little  face;  his  ready  answer: 
"Ich  verbir'  (probire)  !"  "I  will  try,"  when  any  task 
was  set  him,  made  him  the  light  and  joy  of  the  house- 
hold. In  April,  1883,  the  desolate  home  was  cheered 
by  the  birth  of  a  little  daughter,  Julia  Carola.  In  1885, 
on  the  birthday  of  his  father,  April  10th,  Dr.  Spaeth 
welcomed  his  seventh  son  Sigmund  Gottfried.  In 
November,  1886,  another  son,  Reynold  Albrecht,  was 
born,  and  in  August,  1889,  the  family  of  eleven  children 
was  completed  by  still  another  son,  Alan  Bertram.  In 
1 89 1  little  Alan  was  laid  to  rest,  leaving  seven  brothers 
and  sisters  to  grow  to  maturity. 

Shortly  after  Dr.  Krauth's  death  Dr.  Spaeth  began 
collecting  material  for  his  Biography.  In  a  letter  to 
Hole,  April  12,  1883,  he  sketched  his  original  plan  thus: 
"Since  Dr.  Krauth's  death  I  am  over  head  and  ears  in 
the  work  on  his  Memoir,  which,  as  Volume  II,  is  to 
have  a  selection  of  valuable  Essays  from  his  hand.  His 
work  on  Luther  is  unfortunately  in  very  fragmentary 
shape.     I  may  possibly  be  able  to  get  one  volume,  up 


BREAKING  DOWN  125 

to  1 52 1,  ready  for  the  press.  It  is  the  greatest  pity  that 
he  could  not  live  to  complete  this  work.  It  would  have 
been  the  standard  Life  of  Luther  in  the  English 
language." 

The  next  few  years  were  crowded  with  all  kinds  of 
exacting  work,  besides  his  duties  in  the  Seminary  and 
in  St.  Johannis,  where  he  still  stood  alone.  His  health 
was  so  completely  broken  down  that  his  physicians  or- 
dered an  entire  change  and  absolute  rest.  Pastor  Eisen- 
hardt  took  charge  of  the  congregation,  and  in  October, 
1 89 1,  Dr.  Spaeth  with  his  wife,  his  eldest  son  and  the 
three  little  children  left  America  to  spend  six  months 
abroad,  returning  in  April,  1892.  The  old  trouble 
began  again  almost  immediately.  He  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  Synod,  which  added  much  to  his  burden  of 
work,  and  for  the  second  time  he  was  obliged  to  decline 
an  appointment  as  one  of  the  chaplains  in  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  which  had  first  been  offered  to  him  in 
Capri.  The  death  of  Dr.  Mann  (June  20,  1892,)  not 
only  deprived  him  of  his  oldest  friend  in  America,  but 
by  the  resulting  vacancy  in  the  Seminary  Faculty,  obliged 
him  to  prepare  a  new  course  in  Ethics,  and  to  take  up 
much  additional  work.  He  wrote  an  English  sketch  of 
Dr.  Mann,  and  began  collecting  material  for  a  fuller 
German  Biography,  which  was  given  up  when  Miss 
Mann's  excellent  Life  of  her  father  appeared;  he  con- 
tinued all  his  regular  contributions  to  the  church  papers, 
and  delivered  lectures  and  sermons  and  festival  addresses 
as  usual.  No  wonder  that  by  Christmas  he  had  appar- 
ently lost  all  the  ground  that  he  had  gained  the  year  be- 
fore. On  Christmas  Day,  too  feeble  even  to  go  into  his 
pulpit,  in  a  few  broken  words  he  dismissed  his  weeping 
congregation.  A  week  of  complete  isolation  and  silence 
in  Atlantic  City  restored  him  to  some  degree  of  strength 
to  meet  the  new  year,  though  he  was  not  yet  able  to 
preach.  After  the  cruel  winter  of  1892-3  was  over, 
he  had  the  great  joy  of  seeing  the  church  he  loved  so 


126  ST.  JOHANNIS 

dearly,  reconstructed  after  his  own  ideal.  In  all  his 
plans  he  was  ably  seconded  by  Pastor  Eisenhardt,  who 
had  now  been  his  assistant  for  several  months.  For  this 
Jubilee  he  prepared  a  very  full  "History  of  St.  Johannis," 
from  the  first  beginning  of  the  Sunday-school  in  1864, 
down  to  the  latest  statistics  of  every  association  and 
every  department  of  work  in  the  congregation.  Even 
more  personal,  as  a  reminder  of  their  Pastor  for  twenty- 
five  years,  was  the  collection  of  sermon  sketches, 
"Saatkoerner,"  which  Dr.  Spaeth  compiled  and  dedicated 
"in  herzlicher  Liebe"  to  his  dear  St.  Johannis. 

In  1893,  by  the  urgent  advice  of  his  physician,  Dr. 
Spaeth  decided  to  remove  to  Mt.  Airy  and  to  resign 
his  position  in  St.  Johannis.  His  resignation  was  only 
half  accepted.  He  was  to  be  relieved  of  all  pastoral 
work,  for  which  a  second  pastor,  Mr.  Eisenhardt,  was 
elected.  Dr.  Spaeth  retained  only  the  Sunday  morning 
sermon,  his  Bible  class  on  alternate  Wednesdays,  and 
his  place  and  vote  in  the  Vestry.  The  result  was  most 
encouraging.  He  wrote,  November  17,  1894:  "You 
are  right  in  thinking  that  I  am  vigorous  and  cheerful, 
and  that  my  stay  in  Capri  is  still  showing  rts  effects. 
Yes,  I  may  thankfully  say  that  for  many  years  I  have 
had  no  such  feeling  of  physical  freshness,  strength  and 
elasticity  as  in  this  last  year.  I  credit  it  partly  to  the 
Italian  winter  with  its  complete  rest;  partly  to  the  skill 
of  our  Doctor  Beates,  who,  by  energetic  surgical  treat- 
ment of  the  nose  almost  entirely  removed  the  difficulty 
in  breathing;  further,  the  change  of  air  to  our  present 
home  in  Mt.  Airy,  near  the  Seminary,  where  we  are 
about  150  feet  higher  than  we  were  in  Girard  Avenue, 
and  the  relief  from  all  pastoral  work,  have  certainly 
contributed  to  the  restoration  of  my  health."  (A.  S.  to 
Hole.)  For  two  years  he  occupied  a  rented  house,  and 
on  the  twenty-second  of  May,  1895,  moved  into  the 
fine,  roomy  official  residence  which  had  been  built  for 
him  on  the  Seminary  grounds  from  Mrs.  Spaeth's  plans. 


CHAPTER  VI 

PROFESSOR  AND   PREACHER 

1873-1894.      1894-1910 

We  consecrate  ourselves  first  of  all,  as  the  greatest  of 
all,  as  the  ground  work  of  all,  as  the  end  of  all  else, 
to  teaching  and  preparing  others  to  teach  God's  pure 
Word,  its  faith  for  faith,  its  life  for  life,  in  its  integ- 
rity, in  its  marvellous  adaptation,  in  its  divine,  its 
justifying,  its  sanctifying,  and  glorifying  power. 
We  lay,  therefore,  as  that  without  which  all  else 
would  be  laid  in  vain,  the  foundation  of  the 
Apostles  and  Prophets — Jesus  Christ  Himself  be- 
ing the  chief  corner-stone. — Dr.  C.  P.  Krauth,  Oc- 
tober 4,  1864. 

We  need  not  carry  the  history  of  the  Seminary  as  the 
Erinnerungen  do,  back  to  the  time  of  the  Patriarch 
Muehlenberg ;  nor  need  we  trace  the  widening  breach  in 
the  General  Synod  which  resulted  in  the  founding  of  the 
Seminary  in  Philadelphia,  and  the  formation  of  the 
General  Council.  "This  was  no  small  undertaking  on 
the  part  of  the  Mother  Synod,  especially  when  we  recall 
how  little  its  members  were  accustomed  or  trained  to 
give  liberally  to  the  synodical  treasury.  At  that  time 
yy  congregations  with  12,000  communicants  did  not 
contribute  one  cent  to  the  education  fund!  Sixty  other 
congregations  with  13,000  communicants  brought  to- 
gether the  munificent  sum  of  $70.50  for  this  noble  pur- 
pose. And  with  such  material  a  theological  seminary 
was  to  be  founded ! 

"But,  thank  God,  a  new  era  of  faith  and  life  began 
to  show  itself  in  the  Church,  to  which  all  things  seemed 
127 


128  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

possible.  A  fine  rivalry  inspired  both  German  and 
English  congregations.  Old  Zion's  gave  the  ground  in 
Franklin  Square,  and  five  or  six  thousand  dollars.  Four 
professorships  were  endowed  or  pledged  at  once,  and  the 
New  York  Synod  undertook  to  endow  a  fifth.  After  a 
few  years  the  building  on  Franklin  Square  had  become 
too  small,  and  was  altered  (1873)  to  more  than  twice 
its  size.  In  1889  the  Seminary  was  removed  to  Mt. 
Airy,  and  there,  on  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the 
institution  the  whole  place  was  dedicated,  including  the 
handsome  new  dormitory  with  comfortable  quarters  for 
eighty  to  one  hundred  students."  October  4,  1777,  the 
battle  of  Germantown  began  where  the  Mt.  Airy  Semin- 
ary is  now  located.  The  American  pickets  from  the 
First  Delaware  stealthily  approached  the  mansion  on  the 
site  of  the  present  Go  wen  building,  and  at  the  first  fire 
killed  the  British  pickets  stationed  on  its  steps.  October 
4,  1864,  the  first  Faculty  of  the  Seminary  was  installed. 
October  4,  1889,  the  new  Seminary  grounds  and  build- 
ings were  dedicated.  October  4,  1894,  on  the  thirtieth 
anniversary,  Seminary  Day  was  observed  for  the  first 
time.  Seminary  Day  was  Dr.  Spaeth's  idea.  He  made 
the  first  announcement  hoping  that  it  would  develop  into 
a  beautiful  Christian  Volksfest. 

"In  founding  the  Seminary  the  Pennsylvania  Minister- 
ium  had  a  double  purpose;  first,  to  bring  about  a  better 
understanding  and  a  truer  appropriation  of  the  Lutheran 
Confession  on  the  part  of  the  young  men  who  are  being 
trained  for  the  service  of  the  Church;  and,  secondly,  to 
make  better  provision  for  the  German  and  German- 
American  portions  of  our  Church  in  the  East.  In  re- 
gard to  the  language  question  the  founders  hoped  to  ar- 
range for  a  complete  course  in  both  German  and  English. 
But  with  a  Faculty  of  three  full  professors,  one  of 
whom  was  still  serving  a  very  large  congregation  as 
pastor,  such  a  double  course  was  absolutely  impossible. 


HARMONY   BETWEEN   THE  LANGUAGES  129 

According  to  this  plan  every  branch  was  to  be  given  in 
both  languages.  As  far  as  I  know,  this  was  only  done 
in  isolated  cases ;  for  example,  Dogmatics  were  given  by 
Dr.  Krauth  in  English,  by  Dr.  C.  F.  Schaeffer  in  Ger- 
man; but  from  the  beginning  the  German  Professor,  Dr. 
W.  J.  Mann,  was  obliged  to  teach  Hebrew,  Ethics  and 
Exegesis  in  both  languages  if  these  branches  were  to  be 
given  at  all  to  English  students.  Besides,  the  Synod 
had  declared  in  founding  the  Seminary  that  no  professor 
should  be  forbidden  to  use  either  language  in  his  instruc- 
tion. Acting  on  this  principle  the  Faculty  always  main- 
tained perfect  harmony  between  the  professors  of  both 
languages.  There  was  never  a  trace  of  conflict  or 
jealousy  between  them.  Each  language  respected  the 
other,  and  both  served  the  one  common  faith."  (Erinne- 
rungen.) 

Dr.  Spaeth  quotes  in  translation,  from  an  article  by 
Dr.  Krauth  on  the  Necessity  of  the  New  Theological 
Seminary.  Much  of  the  original  article  is  given  in  the 
Biography  of  C.  P.  K.  He  wrote:  "We  need  the 
Seminary  for  the  sake  of  the  true  co-ordinating  and 
harmonious  working  of  the  two  languages,  English  and 

German The  attachment  of  our  German 

brethren  to  their  language  is  not  necessarily  that  blind, 
narrow  thing  which  some  imagine,  and  others  pretend 
to  imagine,  it  is.  .  .  .  Let  us  have  a  Seminary  in 
which  the  one  pure  faith  shall  be  the  hallowed  bond  of 

both  languages The  spirit  of  the  new 

Seminary,  the  spirit  to  which  it  owes  its  life,  is  that 
neither  English  nor  German  shall  be  anything  for  itself, 
but  shall  be  everything  for  Christ.  .  .  .  Nothing  so 
binds  men  as  a  common  faith.  Never  do  men  build 
heartily  together  until  they  are  agreed  as  to  what  is  to 
be  built,  and  are  persuaded  in  their  inmost  hearts  that 
their  work  is,  in  all  its  parts,  of  God.  ...  In  the 
properly  directed  heart  of  young  Christians  of  different 


i3o  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

nationalities,    there    is    a    strong    mutual    interest    and 

sympathy Bring  our  young  men  together, 

to  nurture  them  in  one  fixed  faith,  to  breathe  into  them 
one  intense  love,  to  accustom  them  to  one  harmonious 
usage,  to  keep  them  working  together  practically,  for  a 
time,  in  one  field;  then  send  them  forth,  and  the  bond 
which  unites  them  can  never  be  broken.  .  .  .  Their 
theological  training  has  been  the  time  of  their  entrance 
into  the  inner  court  of  the  communion  of  saints.  .  .  . 
Then  may  we  hope  for  a  true  unity,  which  shall  beget  a 
substantial  and  healthy  uniformity." 

When  Pastor  Spaeth  attended  the  impressive  service, 
October  4,  1864,  at  which  the  first  Faculty  was  installed, 
he  could  have  no  idea  that  eight  years  later  he  would 
be  chosen  as  first  Professor  of  the  New  York  Synod. 
In  1871  Dr.  Krotel,  in  his  President's  report,  suggested 
to  that  body  that  the  time  had  come  to  carry  out  their 
intention  of  endowing  a  professorship  in  the  Philadelphia 
Seminary.  Whereupon  the  Synod  resolved  to  accept  the 
friendly  and  fraternal  proposition  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Ministerium  that  they  should  found  such  a  professor- 
ship, under  conditions  to  be  agreed  upon  later.  There 
was  no  difficulty  in  coming  to  an  understanding.  The 
New  York  Ministerium  was  to  have  the  right  to  name 
a  candidate  for  its  professorship  whenever  a  vacancy  oc- 
curred, but  the  final  election  remained  with  the  Minister- 
ium of  Pennsylvania.  The  control  of  the  endowment 
fund  was  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  New  Yorkers,  and 
they  were  to  be  represented  by  three  clerical  and  three 
lay  members  in  the  Seminary  Board.  In  1872  Dr.  Krotel 
closed  his  Report  with  the  hope  that  before  adjourning, 
the  Ministerium  would  nominate  a  professor  and  find 
ways  and  means  for  his  support.  The  Synod  went  to 
work  with  great  enthusiasm.  The  pastors  bound  them- 
selves to  contribute  the  annual  sum  needed  for  their 
professor  from  their  own  pockets,  and  the  President  was 


THE  NEW  YORK  PROFESSORSHIP  131 

authorized  to  circulate  a  subscription  list  among  them 
at  once!  A  committee  was  appointed  to  make  the 
nomination.  "The  candidate  must  be  a  faithful  member 
of  our  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church;  must  be  rich  in 
theological  attainments,  and  possess  a  gift  for  teaching, 
combined  with  vigorous  strength,  devoted  fidelity,  and 
kindly  zeal;  must  be  familiar  with  conditions  in  the 
Church  in  America ;  must  be  so  far  a  master  of  the  Eng- 
lish language  that  he  can  not  only  understand,  but  freely 
speak  and  write  it;  must  have  the  confidence  of  our  own 
circles  as  well  as  that  of  the  venerable  Ministerium  of 
Pennsylvania,  by  which  our  nomination  must  be  con- 
firmed." Whereupon  Pastor  Spaeth  was  unanimously 
nominated  as  the  Professor  of  the  New  York  Minister- 
ium, and  elected  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Synod  in  Pottstown,  1873.  On  the  tenth  of  September 
in  that  year  he  was  solemnly  installed,  in  Zion's  church, 
at  the  same  time  that  Dr.  C.  W.  Schaeffer,  who  had  so 
far  been  professor  extraordinary,  became  full  professor 
as  the  incumbent  of  the  chair  recently  endowed  by  the 
Burkhalter  family  of  New  York.  Professor  Spaeth's 
inaugural  address  consisted  in  brief  sketches  from  the 
history  of  Exegesis,  taking  up  especially  Augustine  in 
the  patristic  period,  and  Luther  in  the  Reformation  era. 
He  wrote  to  a  friend:  "I  need  not  tell  you,  that  it  was 
no  academical  inaugural,  in  the  sense  of  a  German  Uni- 
versity!" For  more  than  twenty  years  he  served  the 
Seminary  as  its  New  York  Professor,  having,  in  1875, 
supplemented  the  entrance  requirements  of  that  position 
by  receiving  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.*  During  this  long  period 
he  suffered  much  from  asthma,  often  spending  the 
greater  part  of  the  night  in  his  chair,  but  he  never 
failed  to  be  with  his  class  by  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn- 

*  In  1896  the  degree  of  LL.D.  was  conferred  on  him  by  Muhlen- 
berg College. 


132  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

ing.  Even  after  the  Seminary  was  removed  to  Mt. 
Airy  while  he  continued  to  reside  in  St.  Johannis' 
parsonage,  he  made  no  change  in  his  hours. 

His  correspondence  with  his  friend  Pastor  Hole  gives 
many  details  of  his  work.  Hole  writes,  October  30, 
1872:  "What  you  have  told  me  of  approaching  changes 
and  the  enlargement  of  your  field  of  labor,  interested 
me  very  much  even  if  it  did  not  exactly  surprise  me; 
for  this  time  it  did  not  take  much  power  of  divination 
to  discern  that  the  confidence  which  the  Synod  has  al- 
ready placed  in  you,  would  soon  call  you  to  further  ser- 
vice. As  time  passes,  I  have  an  ever  increasing  respect 
for  your  learning  and  for  your  ability  to  accomplish 
something,  especially  in  the  more  practical  departments, 
and  am  convinced  that  you  may  follow  this  call  without 
hesitation,  relying  on  Him  who  has  thus  far  guided  your 
life  so  wonderfully,  and  has  so  richly  blessed  your 
work.  May  He  establish  your  heart,  and  when  you 
have  given  your  glad  assent  may  He  be  near  you  with 
His  grace  and  power;  may  He  increase  the  gifts  of  His 
Spirit  to  you,  and  make  you  an  efficient  laborer  in  your 
future  work  in  His  vineyard !  It  is  a  responsible,  but  a 
glorious  work,  to  train  younger  brethren  for  the  min- 
istry.   Do  not  withdraw  your  hand  from  the  plow !" 

March  10,  1874.  "Last  August  as  delegate  from  our 
old  Pennsylvania  Synod,  I  attended  the  meeting  of  the 
New  York  Synod,  which,  as  you  know,  nominated  me 
as  their  Professor  in  our  Seminary  here.  I  was  very 
kindly  and  courteously  received  there,  and  spent  several 
days  very  pleasantly  in  the  circle  of  70-80  ministers  who, 
with  the  same  number  of  laymen,  constitute  the  Synod. 
Although  I  was  already  on  friendly  terms  with  the 
leading  spirits,  the  majority  of  the  pastors  were  strangers 
to  me.  As  their  Professor  I  count  of  course,  to  a  certain 
extent  as  one  of  themselves,  and  shall  probably,  from 
now  on,  visit  the  New  Yorkers  regularly. 


THE  SEMINARY  IN  FRANKLIN  SQUARE  133 

"My  department  in  the  Seminary  is  principally  New 
Testament  Exegesis.  This  year  I  have  Isagogics,  and 
Hermeneutics — Epistle  to  the  Romans,  and  the  Pericopes 
of  the  Church  Year,  the  latter  mostly  treated  exegetically. 
We  expect  that  students  entering  the  Seminary  shall 
have  the  preparation  usually  given  by  our  'college'  in 
this  country — answering  to  the  German  Gymnasium. 
Certainly,  in  many  exceptional  cases,  we  find  ourselves 
compelled  to  lower  our  requirements;  and  even  from 
those  'graduates'  who  have  their  college  diploma  in  their 
pockets,  we  cannot  expect  the  solid  classical  education 
in  Greek  and  Latin,  which  we  take  for  granted  in  a 
student  beginning  his  theological  studies  in  Germany. 
Still,  our  young  men  are  able  to  read  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  Greek.  They  only  begin  Hebrew  in  the 
Seminary,  and  naturally  do  not  get  very  far  in  three 
years.  .  .  .  We  have  at  present  fifty-three  students, 
but  when  I  speak  of  them  as  'young  gentlemen'  I  must 
do  so  with  some  limitation,  seeing  that  several  of  them 
are  quite  a  good  deal  older  than  I  am !  *  They  all  reside 
in  the  institution,  which  is  charmingly  located  on  one 
of  our  handsomest  public  gardens,  Franklin  Square,  and 
contains  rooms  for  sixty  students,  besides  apartments 
for  the  steward's  family  and  for  the  Chaplain.  This 
office  was  filled  until  a  few  months  ago  by  our  old 
Mission-veteran,  Dr.  Heyer,  a  man  over  eighty,  but  still 
retaining  much  of  his  youthful  vigor.  He  was  in  India, 
among  the  Telegus,  three  times.  His  death  in  December 
was  a  great  loss  to  our  institution,  which,  so  far,  has 
not  found  his  successor.  .  .  .  Although  Dr.  Mann 
and  I  are  usually  called  the  German  Professors,  that 
must^  be  taken  cum  grano  salts,  as  we  must  use  the 
English  language  frequently,  if  the  majority  of  our 
students  are  to  gain  anything  from  our  instruction.     .     . 

*In   later  years   many   students   sat   at  his    feet,    whose    fathers 
he  had  also  taught. 


134  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

.  .  I  give  all  my  lectures  in  both  languages.  I  have 
my  German  manuscript  before  me  and  dictate  German 
and  English  together;  which  does  not  waste  much  time 
as  ordinary  dictation  goes  but,  where  the  lecture  might 
be  a  little  more  free,  acts  as  a  brake.  In  each  hour  the 
last  lecture  is  gone  over  in  questions  (the  student  being 
called  on  by  name  to  answer),  before  the  new  lesson 
begins.*  Naturally,  what  we  accomplish  is  very  unpre- 
tentious, and  we  are  well  aware  that  our  students  do 
not  carry  away  any  remarkable  provision  of  theological 
erudition,  .  .  .  but  still  we  may  hope  that,  to  those 
who  have  entered  the  Seminary  from  a  true  inward 
calling,  an  opportunity  is  offered  to  become  reasonably 
acquainted  with  theology,  and  that  they  are  encouraged 
in  every  way  to  learn  much  that  is  valuable. 

"I  undertook  the  instruction  in  the  Seminary  with 
great  anxiety,  partly  because  I  am  well  aware  of  the 
deficiencies  in  my  own  theological  training,  and  especially 
also,  because,  after  all  the  throat  trouble  that  I  have 
had  to  contend  with  in  recent  years,  it  seemed  pure  fool- 
hardiness  for  me  to  attempt  to  fill  two  such  exacting 
offices  as  my  pastorate  and  my  professorship.  But  the 
Lord  has  helped  me  far  beyond  my  expectation.  I  have 
never  spent  a  winter  here  in  such  perfect  health,  or 
with  such  a  glad  and  grateful  feeling  of  strength  and 
endurance  in  my  work.     Every  morning  at  7:30  I  must 

*  In  1905  the  Seminary  Board  reported  to  Synod  through  Dr. 
Jacobs :  "In  recent  years  methods  of  teaching  have  been  completely 
changed,  and  the  old  system,  by  which  the  Professors  lectured  and 
the  students  were  receptive  until  examination,  or  by  which  the 
Professors  simply  saw  to  it  that  a  text  book  was  memorized,  is 
largely  supplanted  by  courses  of  required  reading  and  exhaustive 
investigation,  on  the  part  of  the  students,  while  the  Professor's 
work  is  largely  that  of  directing  this  course,  keeping  the  biblio- 
graphy of  the  subject  up  to  date,  criticising  the  authorities 
used,  and  supplimenting  the  efforts  of  the  students  by  his  own 
material." 


A  STRENUOUS  LIFE  135 

tramp  from  my  house  to  the  Seminary,  one  English  mile 
distant,  where,  at  eight  o'clock,  I  have  the  first  lecture. 
After  one  or  two  hours  I  return  per  pedes  apostolorum, 
to  my  'Northwest/  to  my  study  in  the  church,  until  my 
confirmation  instruction  calls  me  off  again,  four  times  in 
the  week.  In  the  afternoon  come  pastoral  visits  and 
other  work.  The  evenings  and  early  morning  hours  are 
devoted  to  professorial  labors.  In  comparison,  Saturday 
and  Sunday  with  two  sermons  are  now  almost  a  recrea- 
tion, at  least  a  relief!  I  preach  more  easily  and  with 
less  physical  exertion  than  ever  before.  Wednesday 
evening  I  have  a  weekly  sermon;  afterwards  a  Bible 
class  with  my  Sunday-school  teachers.  Hardest  of  all 
is  the  multifarious  committee  work  (Hymnbook,  Cate- 
chism, Sunday-school  Book)  with  which  I  am  loaded 
by  the  general  Church  bodies.  Such  a  committee  meet- 
ing lasts  usually  a  whole  week,  requiring  every  hour  be- 
tween meals,  each  day.  With  all  this  you  can  under- 
stand when  I  say,  this  winter  I  am  a  wonder  to  myself, 
in  the  fresh  strength  that  is  given  me  day  by  day.  I 
praise  and  thank  the  Lord  for  it.  May  He  accept  and 
bless  as  it  may  please  Him,  the  little  that  I  can  do."  (A. 
S.  to  Hole.) 

August  3,  1875.  "In  my  various  positions  work  is 
never  lacking,  and  often  I  am  almost  a  little  tired,  but 
I  always  get  through!  During  the  last  Seminary  year, 
September,  1874,  until  Trinity,  1875,  J  nad  tne  follow- 
ing branches:  Hermeneutics,  New  Testament  introduc- 
tion, New  Testament  theology,  Pericopes  (first  half  of 
Church  Year)  and  liturgical  practice.  I  had  the  seniors 
in  my  house  several  evenings  during  the  winter,  in  order 
to  come  closer  to  them  than  is  possible  in  the  lecture 
room  alone.  Of  course  my  congregation  suffers  a  little 
under  this  many-sided  activity ;  according  to  ideas  preva- 
lent here  I  ought  to  make  more  visits,  and  house  visita- 
tion has  always  been  one  of  my  weak  sides !    But  I  can 


i36  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

say  that  the  Seminary  interferes  less  with  my  pastoral 
duties  than  the  unending  Committee  work  with  which 
the  Synod  overburdens  me."  * 

When  Dr.  Spaeth  took  charge  of  the  course  in  German 
Homiletics,  in  a  review  of  the  "Saatkoerner"  the  stu- 
dents- were  congratulated  on  such  a  worthy  successor 
to  Dr.  Mann,  and  Dr.  Spaeth's  own  standing  as  a 
preacher  received  most  friendly  recognition.  "Everyone 
knows  that,  taking  him  all  in  all,  Dr.  Spaeth  occupies 
the  position  in  the  German  American  Lutheran  Church 
which,  thirty  years  ago,  was  given  in  Germany  to  Ahl- 
feld  or  Gerok,  or  ten  years  ago  to  Max  Frommel.  The 
'Saatkoerner'  can  stand  beside  the  collected  sermons  of 
any  of  these  Masters  in  this  department."  "Dr.  Spaeth's 
sermons  are  based  upon  most  thorough  exegetical  study 
of  the  passage,  the  results  of  which  have  been  so  thor- 
oughly assimilated  that  he  uses  them  with  entire  free- 
dom, and  with  no  trace  of  the  labor  that  has  been  ex- 
pended in  gathering  them."  In  the  early  years  of  his 
ministry  Pastor  Spaeth's  sermons  drew  crowded  houses. 
He  was  the  "new  broom"  as  he  himself  once  said;  his 
interesting,  rather  frail  appearance,  and  the  unusual  and 
somewhat  romantic  circumstances  under  which  he  came 
to  America,  also  contributed  to  his  popularity.  He  knew 
this,  and  his  earlier  Diaries  show  how  strictly,  almost 
morbidly,  he  criticised  his  own  performances.  If  he 
thought  a  sermon  good  it  was  "miserable  vanity."  If  he 
thought  it  poor,  this  was  "an  overweening  desire  for  the 
praise  of  men."  When  he  found  it  neither  one  nor  the 
other  he  feared  that  he  was  growing  "cold  and  indif- 
ferent to  his  sacred  calling." 

For  seven  years  in  the  beginning  of  his  pastoral  work, 
Mr.  Spaeth  made  it  a  rule,  even  for  the  Wednesday 
evening  service,  to  write  his  sermons  out  in  full.     "This 

*  In  some  of  these  years  there  were  only  three  or  four  stand- 
ing committees  of  which  he  was  not  a  member. 


%  &  m   ( 


{Dnccnc^/  c/  « s /.      YaZ/t 


C(  ?i  ?>  fj 


PREPARATION  FOR  THE  PULPIT  137 

practice  I  still  recommend  to  my  students.  Even  if  it 
is  only  for  the  sake  of  a  careful  and  correct  use  of 
language,  this  should  be  the  rule  with  beginners.  Even 
more  necessary  is  it,  in  order  to  preserve  a  clearly  ar- 
ranged succession  of  thoughts,  and  to  present  them  in 
a  regular  progression.  To  the  great  message  which  the 
preacher  brings  to  the  souls  of  men,  it  is  certainly  due 
that  the  messenger  himself  should  be  quite  sure  what  he 
is  to  say,  and  how  he  can  best  say  it."  He  urges  the 
importance  of  studying  the  Scriptures,  especially  the  por- 
tion chosen  for  a  sermon,  with  all  the  help  one  can 
employ,  but  not  depending  too  much  on  sermon  books. 
"I  can  only  say  of  two  preachers  that  I  read  them  again 
and  again,  and  studied  them  in  detail.  These  two  are 
Dr.  Martin  Luther,  from  whom  every  theologian  and 
preacher  can  always  learn,  and  my  countryman  Georg 
Konrad  Rieger,  who  was  Stiftsprediger  in  Stuttgart,  in 
the  eighteenth  century,  about  the  time  of  Father  Mueh- 

lenberg Above  all  I  have  him  to  thank  for 

warmth  and  animation  in  my  own  heart,  and  for  the 
impression  of  the  inexhaustible  fulness  of  the  Gospel 
as  treated  in  his  sermons.  .  .  .  For  years  I  always 
let  Rieger  preach  to  me,  before  I  went  at  the  prepara- 
tion of  a  sermon."     (Erinnerungen.) 

The  old,  old  question,  whether  the  Gospels  and 
Epistles  of  the  Church  Year  or  free  texts  are  preferable, 
was  settled  by  Mr.  Spaeth  very  early  in  his  pastorate. 
For  the  chief  service  on  Sundays  and  festivals  he  used 
the  Gospel  of  the  day.  For  Sunday  evening  or  weekday 
services  he  took  up  entire  books  of  the  Bible,  or  the 
Catechism.  This  left  him  very  little  opportunity  for  se- 
lecting a  free  text,  though  for  particular  occasions  and 
in  specially  noteworthy  experiences,  public  or  congre- 
gational, he  used  his  liberty  in  that  respect.  "In  1873, 
after  my  election  as  New  York  Professor  of  our 
Seminary,!  was  sent  as  delegate  from  our  Synod  to  the 


138  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

New  York  Synod  in  Utica,  and  was  invited  by  the 
President  to  deliver  the  Synodical  sermon.  I  thought 
this  must  be  a  very  special  sermon  for  my  clerical 
brethren,  and  that  they  should  see  what  spirit  animated 
their  newly  elected  professor.  A  free  text  was  chosen, 
and  for  three  weeks  I  was  absorbed  in  the  Synodical 
Sermon,  improving  here,  riling  away  there,  so  that  my 
wife  observed  at  last:  'Nothing  will  come  of  that  ser- 
mon, you  are  working  far  too  much  at  it.'  On  Thursday 
morning  Synod  opened  with  a  service  and  a  pastoral 
address  by  my  friend  Dr.  Moldehnke.  He  went  into 
the  pulpit,  opened  the  Bible  and  read — my  text!  .  .  . 
I  wrote  to  my  wife:  'You  were  right  about  the  sermon. 
Nothing  has  come  of  it.'  And  on  Sunday  morning  I 
preached  a  simple  congregational  sermon  on  the  Gospel 
for  the  day."     (Erinnerungen.) 

In  an  address  (Seminary  Day,  19 14)  on  the  theme: 
The  Great  Preachers  of  the  Seminary,  Dr.  C.  Armand 
Miller  said:  Those  who  had  the  privilege  of  frequently 
hearing  Dr.  Spaeth  in  his  pulpit  can  never  forget  or 
lose  the  impression  of  his  great  gifts  as  a  preacher  of 
the  Gospel.  It  is  easy  to  single  out  qualities  that  belong 
to  the  explanation  of  his  power  and  charm:  the  attractive 
influence  of  his  noble  personality;  the  perfect  beauty  of 
his  musical  diction;  the  fulness  of  his  knowledge;  the 
aptness  of  personal  application  of  the  truth;  the  insight 
into  the  depths  of  meaning  in  the  Scripture  he  was  inter- 
preting; the  simplicity  and  strength  of  his  faith  and 
loyalty  to  the  divine  Word;  the  fervor  of  his  spiritual 
power,  so  that,  more  than  the. sense  of  admiration  was  the 
consciousness  of  the  deep  stirrings  of  the  heart,  moved 
by  his  ministry  of  the  Spirit-filled  message  of  God's 
truth.  But  all  these  single  gifts  and  qualities,  blended 
in  the  consecrated  energy  of  mind  and  heart  devoted  to 
Christ  and  to  His  Gospel,  made,  in  the  reality  of  the 
preacher's  work,  an  impression  beside  which  the  attempt 


DR.  SPAETH  IN  THE  PULPIT  139 

to  analyze  and  estimate  the  secret  of  his  power,  seems 
but  a  chilly  shadow.  Later,  in  a  letter  on  this  subject, 
Dr.  Miller  adds:  I  cannot  put  into  words  what  I  would 
like  to  say  of  him  as  my  ideal  prince  of  preachers.  I 
consider  Dr.  Spaeth  the  greatest  preacher  that  I  have 
ever  heard.  ...  In  spite  of  the  restraint  of  the 
occasion  in  the  way  of  comparisons,  I  think  that  those 
who  heard  me  must  have  understood  that  when  I  spoke 
of  Dr.  Spaeth  I  was  acclaiming  my  hero ! 


As  early  as  1883  there  was,  on  the  part  of  some  of 
the  New  Yorkers,  an  openly  expressed  wish  to  fill  the 
Pennsylvania  Professorship  left  vacant  by  the  death  of 
Dr.  C.  F.  Schaeffer,  by  installing  Dr.  Spaeth  in  it;  the 
fact  being  well  known  that  New  York  had  not  been  able 
to  fulfill  its  financial  intentions  toward  its  Professor. 
The  position  of  the  New  York  professor  had  never  been 
a  bed  of  roses.  Apart  from  the  uncertainty  regarding 
the  promised  support,  to  which  Dr.  Spaeth  was  singu- 
larly indifferent,  he  had  been  repeatedly  attacked  by 
various  factions  in  the  Synod.  He  writes,  in  November, 
1876:  "Recently  I  have  been  the  object  of  bitter  per- 
sonal assaults  in  the  church  papers,  from  the  ultra-con- 
fessional side,  which  have  been  very  painful  for  one 
as  sensitive  as  I  am.  But  I  think  that  also  is  part  of 
service  (Dienst),  that  now  and  then  we  must  let  some- 
body wipe  his  shoes  on  us.  It  may  be  that  my  position 
as  New  York  Professor  may  come  in  question  through 
these  attacks,  for  I  intend  at  the  next  meeting  of  the 
New  York  Synod,  to  force  the  matter  to  a  decision." 
(A.  S.  to  Hole.) 

In  1893,  Just  before  adjourning,  the  New  York 
Synod  had  passed  resolutions  intended  to  restrict  their 
professor  to  the  use  of  the  German  language.  These, 
however,  were  so  vaguely  stated  that  they  seemed  to 
imply  a  general  censure  of  his  official  acts.     Dr.  Spaeth 


140  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

at  once  offered  his  resignation  unless  the  resolutions 
were  rescinded.  The  President  of  the  Ministerium 
stated  publicly  that  the  resolutions  did  not  express  the 
position  of  that  body,  and  his  statement  was  confirmed 
by  the  Synod  in  1894.  Even  the  language  restriction 
was  withdrawn,  their  Professor  having  explained  again 
and  again  that  only  part  of  the  classes  could  benefit  by 
purely  German  instruction. 

But  the  resignation  was  tendered  and  accepted  never- 
theless, the  Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania  having  just 
elected  Dr.  Spaeth,  almost  unanimously,  as  successor  to 
Dr.  Mann.  He  writes,  June  3d:  "My  resignation  was 
accepted  by  a  rising  vote,  with  thanks  for  my  'self- 
denying'  services.*  Many  kind  words  were  said  by 
some  of  my  former  students,  testifying  their  warm  at- 
tachment to  their  old  Professor,  and  their  high  apprecia- 
tion of  his  services." 

After  his  removal  to  Mt.  Airy,  which  brought  about 
a  much  closer  relation  to  the  Seminary,  Dr.  Spaeth  took 
up  his  work  with  renewed  energy.  "Besides  my  usual 
lectures  in  which  I  always  used  the  German  and  English 
side  by  side,  I  employed  special  means  to  rouse  and  keep 
up  an  interest  in  German  among  the  students,  particu- 
larly in  the  Luther  evenings.    A  few  faithful  ones  came 

*  Although  Dr.  Spaeth  had  been  entirely  satisfied  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  the  New  York  Professor  without  going  into  the 
question  of  his  salary,  the  fact  that,  in  1876  or  1877,  the  sum  of 
nearly  a  thousand  dollars  had  been  raised  for  him  but  appropriated 
by  the  Treasurer  for  another  purpose,  appealed  quite  objectively 
to  his  sense  of  right  and  justice.  In  1905  the  Executive  Committee 
of  Synod  was  asked  to  look  into  this  matter,  and  was  given  power 
to  act.  The  Committee  recognized  the  debt  to  their  former  Pro- 
fessor by  a  unanimous  vote,  and  paid  it  with  interest  for  twenty- 
eight  years,  making  a  total  of  $2,300.00.  Upon  receipt  of  this  sum 
Dr.  Spaeth  at  once  presented  his  own  cheque  for  the  full  amount 
to  Wagner  College,  thereby  reducing  its  debt  more  than  half.  The 
balance  was  provided  for  by  Synod,  leaving  Wagner  free  of  en- 
cumbrance. 


LUTHER  ABEND.— GERMAN  VESPER  141 

together  regularly,  with  whom  I  went  through  the  most 
important  of  Luther's  writings.  The  reading  was 
usually  prefaced  with  a  short  historical  introduction. 
All  the  different  editions  of  Luther  found  in  the 
Seminary  library  were  brought  together,  from  Witten- 
berg to  Weimar.  The  students  read  in  turn,  not  an 
easy  task  for  those  unfamiliar  with  the  old  print;  now 
and  then  came  an  explanation,  or  a  question  requiring 
answer,  all  in  a  perfectly  free  and  informal  way. 

"For  years,  on  the  last  Sunday  in  the  month  when 
there  was  no  regular  service  in  St.  Johannis,  a  German 
Vesper  was  held  in  the  Seminary,  which  was  intended 
to  cultivate  a  sense  for  the  beautiful  old  order  of  wor- 
ship,* and  for  the  German  hymn  and  choir  music.  With 
great  self-denial  the  members  of  St.  Johannis'  choir 
came  out  from  the  city  for  these  occasions,  often  in 
stormy  weather,  and  added  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the 
service.  Even  the  ancient  custom  of  intoning  was  re- 
vived by  the  liturge,f  a  custom  which  is  unfortunately 
almost  unknown  in  our  Church  in  the  East."  (Erinne- 
rungen. ) 

December  17,  1897.  "My  congregation  made  the 
thirtieth  anniversary  of  my  installation,  on  the  tenth  and 
eleventh  of  October,  a  most  imposing  celebration,  and 
used  this  opportunity  to  overwhelm  me  with  tokens  of 

*  Rev.  F.  E.  Cooper  in  acknowledging  the  "more  than  kind 
notice  of  the  Explanation  of  the  Common  Service"  in  the  Kirchen- 
bote,  says :  "I  feel  that  our  effort  has  succeeded  beyond  our  best 
hopes  when  the  man  who  first  introduced  us  into  the  larger  and 
deeper  appreciation  of  the  Liturgical  treasures  of  our  Church,  gives 
to  our  humble  but  most  painstaking  efforts  the  unstinted  recognition 
and  praise  which  have  come  from  his  pen.  And  if  our  work  should 
prove  to  be  of  any  permanent  value,  no  one  will  miss  the  mark 
who  traces  the  impetus  to  its  conception  and  preparation  to  the 
enthusiasm  for  liturgical  studies  with  which  the  Professor  of 
Liturgies  at  Mt.  Airy  fired  his  students." 

t  Dr.  Spaeth  himself. 


142  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

love  and  esteem.  ...  In  this  country  such  a  long 
period  of  activity  in  the  same  congregation  is  somewhat 
rare.  Even  in  our  Lutheran  Church  there  is  universal 
complaint  over  the  everlasting  shifting  of  the  pastoral 
relation.  I  have  indeed  no  reason  to  boast  in  this  di- 
rection, for  I  have  never  been  subjected  to  the  tempta- 
tion to  leave  my  dear  St.  Johannis  congregation.  Once 
only  a  call  came  to  me,  but  at  a  time  and  in  a  way  that 
demanded  not  a  moment's  consideration,  as  to  what  I 
should  do.  .  .  .  By  next  September  I  shall  have 
labored  for  twenty-five  years  as  Professor  in  our  Semin- 
ary. So  the  Jubilees  gather  over  one's  head,  that  mean- 
while begins  to  be  gray  and  white."  (A.  S.  to  Emil 
Wagner. ) 

In  1898,  on  the  same  day  (June  1st)  on  which  the 
first  Convocation  of  Church  Musicians  assembled,  the 
Alumni  of  the  Seminary  passed  resolutions  of  congratu- 
lation to  Dr.  Spaeth  at  the  close  of  a  quarter-century 
of  his  work  in  that  institution.  Addresses  were  made 
by  Dr.  Repass  in  English,  and  by  Pastor  Pohle  in 
German  on  behalf  of  the  Alumni,  and  by  Dr.  Jacobs, 
representing  the  Faculty.  This  address  is  so  far  from 
being  the  perfunctory  and  conventional  tribute  often 
paid  on  such  occasions,  that  it  is  given  here  in  full. 
"With  great  heartiness  the  members  of  the  Faculty  con- 
gratulate their  Senior  in  office,  upon  the  completion  of 
a  quarter  of  a  century  of  faithful  work.  They  are  not 
ready  as  yet  to  greet  him  as  their  venerable  colleague,' 
since  he  is  still  at  the  meridian  of  his  powers,  and  the 
gradual  sinking  of  the  sun  into  the  west  has  not  yet 
begun.  But  they  rejoice  that  he  is  able  to  look  back 
over  so  long  a  period,  spent  in  most  vigorous  co-operation 
with  so  many  devoted  servants  of  Christ,  who  have  long 
since  passed  to  their  reward — the  instructor  of  so  long  a 
line  of  candidates  for  the  holy  office — and  with  the  pros- 
pect, by  God's  help,  of  many  additional  years  of  service, 


EQUIPMENT  FOR  THE  SEMINARY  143 

with  far  better  facilities  for  his  work  than  were  at  hand 
during  a  large  portion  of  these  twenty-five  years. 

"The  youngest  man  ever  elected  to  a  full  professorship 
in  this  Seminary,  his  career,  which  so  many  in  this 
audience  know,  has  fully  justified  the  wisdom  of  the 
choice.  For  years  a  professor  has  to  be  a  diligent  student 
of  the  art  of  teaching,  and  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  those 
whom  he  is  supposed  to  instruct,  before  he  can  live  with 
freedom  in  his  work,  and  make  all  his  energies  felt  upon 
his  pupils  and  the  Seminary,  and,  through  them,  upon 
the  Church  at  large. 

"To  the  situation  he  brought  a  preparation  of  rare 
thoroughness  and  width.  He  came  equipped  with  the 
best  theological  training  that  Germany  could  give, — not 
only  that  of  a  graduate  of  Tuebingen,  but  of  the  select 
circle  of  the  'Stift' — the  pupil  of  Beck  and  Oehler  and 
Palmer,  the  fellow-student  of  Cremer  and  Kuebel  and 
Pfleiderer,  prepared  to  deal  with  modern  scepticism  by 
having  learned  the  sophistries  of  the  Tuebingen  School 
from  the  lips  of  their  great  exponent.  He  came  with  a 
vision  enlarged  by  extensive  travel,  by  a  protracted  resi- 
dence among  an  English  speaking  people,  by  contact  with 
the  highest  social  circles  and  the  deep  religious  life  of 
Scotland.  He  was  fitted  for  his  work  by  familiarity 
with  the  Lutheran  Church  of  Wuerttemberg,  and  the 
thorough  organization  of  an  independent  Church  in  the 
land  in  which  he  sojourned.  He  brought  to  the  Semin- 
ary a  thoroughly  practical  spirit  from  his  unintermitting 
pastoral  activity.  Few  know  the  sacrifices  he  has  made 
to  serve  the  Seminary,  and  that  for  years  his  services 
were  almost  a  pure  gratuity. 

"Before  the  public  he  has  been  a  distinguished  repre- 
sentative of  all  the  Seminary  interests,  pleading  its  cause 
both  by  pen  and  lip  with  the  rare  powers  of  eloquence 
the  Lord  has  given  him.  Every  position  which  his 
calling  as  a  Professor  brought  with  it,  he  has  filled  with 


144  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

all  the  energy  and  warmth  of  his  soul.  In  the  Faculty- 
he  has  ever  been  a  model  of  Christian  courtesy — not 
that  of  the  world  which  hides  its  convictions,  but  that 
of  a  man  firm  and  uncompromising  in  his  principles, 
clear  and  open  as  the  day  in  their  confession;  like  one 
of  Homer's  heroes  hating  falsehood  as  the  very  gates 
of  Hell;  ready  to  plead  any  cause  that  is  wronged,  and 
to  run  to  the  rescue  of  any  interest  that  is  suffering;  but 
at  the  same  time  full  of  the  spirit  of  love,  inspired  from 
above. 

"For  fifteen  years  we  have  labored  side  by  side,  with- 
out a  single  cloud  to  dim  the  brightness  or  chill  the 
warmth  of  our  friendship.  Raised  in  different  countries, 
trained  in  different  institutions,  and  under  different  in- 
fluences; representing  different  languages,  and  interests 
sometimes  thought  to  be  antagonistic;  coming  to  the 
consideration  of  important  questions  often  from  diverg- 
ing standpoints,  we  have  co-operated  with  one  heart  and 
one  spirit,  and  with  unreserved  confidence,  in  that  one 
work  to  which  the  Church  has  called  us. 

"Of  those  who  welcomed  him  into  the  Faculty,  all 
have  departed.  But  from  intimacy  with  them  all,  I  can 
speak  today  also  for  those  venerated  men,  as  they  often 
spoke  to  me  of  their  junior  colleague.  High  as  is  the 
estimate  which  the  present  Faculty  places  upon  the  char- 
acter, the  attainments  and  the  services  of  their  Senior, 
it  is  no  higher  than  the  former  Faculty  placed  upon  those 
of  their  Junior. 

"On  his  behalf  we  glorify  God.  Not  in  the  spirit  of 
flattery,  but  in  that  of  sober  recognition  of  all  God's 
gifts,  we  thank  God  for  having  raised  up  for  our  Church 
in  America  such  an  instrument  of  power,  and  pray  that 
for  many  years  it  may  be  preserved  to  us.  Time  forbids 
our  entering  into  a  detailed  review  of  the  many  spheres 
in  which  his  influence  tells  and  will  tell  for  generations. 
We  can  only  say:     Dear  Brother,  we  wish  if  God  so 


FORTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  ORDINATION        145 

will,  for  you  many  years  of  continued  labor  among  us; 
and  assure  you  of  the  record  that  is  kept  on  high,  and  the 
reward  awaiting  those  faithful  unto  the  end!" 

October  10,  1901,  was  the  fortieth  anniversary  of  Dr. 
Spaeth's  ordination.  He  was  attending  the  General 
Council  in  Lima,  Ohio,  and  had  no  idea  that  anyone 
even  remembered  the  date,  until  he  received  a  telegram 
of  congratulation  from  his  congregation.  Meanwhile 
the  arrangements  were  rapidly  completed,  and  on  the 
seventeenth  of  October  the  deferred  celebration  took 
place.  Many  clergymen  were  present,  of  whom  nine 
made  addresses  of  congratulation,  representing  the  Gen- 
eral Council,  Synod,  Conferences,  Deaconess  House, 
Seminary  Faculty,  Zion's,  St.  Johannis  and  both  of  her 
branches,  Christus  and  Markus.  The  liturgical  service 
was  conducted  by  Pastors  Bielinski  and  Eisenhardt,* 
and  then  the  speeches  began,  "of  which"  writes  one  who 
was  present,  "it  may  be  said  that  they  were  all  admirably 
short  (nine  addresses  within  an  hour!),  true,  sincere, 
and  free  from  empty  flattery.  And  even  if  the  object 
of  all  these  compliments  found  them  too  much — through 
everything  that  was  said  ran  a  tone  of  praise  to  God 
who  had  set  His  servant  to  be  a  blessing  to  many." 

Dr.  Spaeth  replied:  "And  now  I  am  to  say  some- 
thing yet ;  and  you  all  think  there  has  been  enough  said ; 
and  I  think  there  has  been  more  than  enough.  Dear 
Brethren,  you  have  called  this  a  joyful  celebration.  For 
me  it  has  been  a  stifling  one,  and  I  have  felt  as  if  I 
were  running  the  gantlet.  All  evening  I  have  gone 
back  for  refuge  to  the  text  on  which  my  first  sermon  in 
this  country  was  based,  which  I  selected  in  July,  1864, 
when  I  had  been  called  to  America,  and  worked  out 
on  board  the  steamer:  'My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee: 
for  My  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness.'     From 

*  In  August,  1900,  Pastor  Eisenhardt  had  resigned  his  position 
in  St.  Johannis,  in  order  to  take  charge  of  the  Orphans'  Home 
in  Germantown,  and  was  succeeded  by  Pastor  R.  Bielinski. 


i46  PROFESSOR  AND  PREACHER 

this  text  I  preached  my  first  sermon  in  St.  Michael's, 
before  twenty-one  members  of  the  Council,  one  single 
church  member,  Dr.  Mann  and  the  organist. 

"In  many  ways  the  grace  of  God  had  prepared  me 
for  my  office.  He  led  me  to  study  theology  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Tuebingen.  .  .  .  though  my  real  study- 
ing only  began  when  I  became  Vikar,  and  first  learned 
to  love  theology.  And  then  God  led  me  to  Scotland. 
There  I  came  to  know  the  Free  Church,  and  learned 
English  at  the  same  time,  also  a  preparation  for  my 
work  here,  though  with  it  all,  what  I  brought  with  me 
was  no  great  burden.  If  I  have  now  and  then  been 
privileged  to  do  something  in  the  Church,  the  Omniscient 
is  my  witness:  I  have  never  done  or  sought  anything 
that  did  not  come  to  me  as  a  call.  I  could  and  can  wait 
until  something  is  forced  upon  me.  That  was  my  de- 
fence where  I  have  made  mistakes,  that  I  could  say  I 
did  not  wish  it,  but  it  was  demanded  of  me. 

"Forty  years  in  the  ministry!  How  beautiful  that 
sounds!  But  just  think  of  the  responsibility  that  is 
involved  in  it!  I  know  this,  my  dear  friends,  that  with 
all  my  cause  for  thankfulness  this  day,  I  have  much  more 
reason  for  the  petition:  'Lord,  enter  not  into  judgment 
with  Thy  servant,  but  forgive  all  my  omissions  and 
mistakes.'  And  this  also  is  clear  to  me:  after  forty  years 
in  my  office  there  can  only  be  a  remnant  of  working 
time  left  to  me, — perhaps  much  less  than  we  think  today. 
And  then  it  will  be  said:  'Last  Sunday  he  preached  for 
the  last  time !'  Let  me  ask  then  one  thing  of  you :  show 
that  you  love  the  Word  of  God ;  do  not  let  your  Pastor 
preach  to  empty  pews ;  appropriate  that  Word,  live  by  it, 
suffer  and  die  by  it.  .  .  .  May  God  forgive  what  we 
have  done  amiss,  and  cover  our  sins  with  His  mercy  so 
that  when  our  last  hour  shall  come  we  may  depart  in 
His  grace,  for  in  that  hour  nothing  is  of  any  value  except 
the  words:  'My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee:  for  My 
strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness.'    Amen." 


CHAPTER  VII 

SYNOD   AND   COUNCIL 
I865-I9IO 

"Ich   dien!" 

So  far,  at  least  in  some  degree,  the  chronological  order 
of  events  in  Pastor  Spaeth's  life  has  been  preserved. 
When,  for  the  first  time,  he  became  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Council  in  1868,  and  a  few  years  later,  in  1873, 
was  installed  as  Professor  in  the  Seminary,  he  entered 
upon  a  wide  field  of  activity  and  influence,  besides  the 
pastoral  work  which  he  never  entirely  relinquished.  It 
is  given  to  few  men  to  engage  with  so  much  energy  and 
acumen  in  so  many  departments,  so  unlike  in  their  re- 
quirements, and  to  succeed  in  them  all.  Wherever  the 
Church  placed  him,  he  was  recognized  as  at  once  a 
prominent  leader,  a  safe  guide,  and  a  most  unselfish  and 
tireless  worker  in  the  ranks.  The  story  of  these  more 
than  forty  years  can  be  treated  most  satisfactorily  under 
the  topics  here  given.  Those  who  prefer  the  chrono- 
logical plan,  will  find  in  the  Index  a  complete  harmony, 
if  it  may  be  so  called,  of  his  life. 

IN  THE   MINISTERIUM 

When  Pastor  Spaeth  entered  the  Ministerium  in  1865, 
there  were  118  members  on  the  roll.  Father  Beates, 
then  in  his  eighty-eighth  year,  headed  the  list  as  "Senior 
Ministerii,"  an  office  held  in  great  esteem  then,  but 
abolished  later.  In  1910,  Dr.  Spaeth  was  the  thirteenth 
on  the  roll  of  392  ministers. 
147 


148  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

He  was  greatly  impressed  and  interested  at  the  meet- 
ing in  Lancaster,  1866,  where  the  delegates  to  the  Gen- 
eral Synod  in  Fort  Wayne  presented  their  report,  and 
his  Diary  contains  not  only  a  warm  appreciation  of  the 
cultivated  and  hospitable  people  of  Lancaster,  but  also 
a  determination  "to  take  up  my  work  with  new  zeal, 
under  the  blessing  of  God,  and  faithfully  and  diligently 
to  use  the  time  vouchsafed  to  me."  At  this  session  he 
was  added  to  the  Standing  Committee  on  the  German 
Hymnbook. 

In  1867,  St.  Johannis  was  received  into  Synod,  and 
Pastor  Spaeth  became  German  Secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Missions  for  Philadelphia.  In  1869  his  name  is  on 
eight  standing  committees  or  Boards.  In  1871  he  was 
made  Director  of  the  Seminary,  and  in  1877  was  a 
Trustee  of  Muhlenberg  College.  After  1874  his  name 
disappears  for  a  few  years  from  the  various  Committees 
of  Synod,  owing  no  doubt  to  constantly  increasing  de- 
mands on  him  in  the  General  Council,  to  which  he  was  a 
delegate  every  year  from  1868  on.  After  1877  he  was 
once  more  on  very  important  committees;  for  example, 
on  enlarging  the  power  of  Conferences,  1878;  on  the 
Constitution  of  Conferences  and  Synod,  1883,  and  on 
the  re-organization  of  Synod,  1897;  on  a  plan  for  com- 
memorating the  seventh  semi-centennial  of  the  Augs- 
burg Confession,  and  the  third  centenary  of  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Book  of  Concord,  1879;  and  on  the  400th 
anniversary  of  Luther's  birth,  1880.  In  1881  his  name 
was  added  to  the  English  Church  Book  Committee.  To 
Dr.  Spaeth  may  well  be  applied  his  own  words  in  speak- 
ing of  Dr.  B.  M.  Schmucker:  "In  all  this  committee 
work  he  endeavored  to  make  himself  fully  acquainted 
with  the  matter  in  hand.  No  trouble  was  too  much  for 
him,  and  he  could  never  rest  until  his  information 
covered  the  whole  field.  Then  his  clear,  sober,  impartial 
judgment,  and  the  practical  insight  of  his  views  found 


THE  JUBILEE  AT  ROCK  ISLAND  149 

acceptance  in  most  cases  on  the  part  of  his  brethren." 

In  1892,  at  Reading,  Dr.  Spaeth  was  elected  President 
of  Synod,  and  in  that  capacity  took  part  in  1893  in  the 
ordination  of  his  second  son,  in  St.  Johannis  church.  He 
held  this  office  until  1894. 

"In  1893  the  Swedes  held  a  great  Jubilee  at  Rock 
Island,  in  memory  of  the  adoption  of  the  Augsburg 
Confession  by  the  Council  of  Upsala,  March  5,  1593.  I 
had  the  pleasure,  as  President  of  the  Pennsylvania  Min- 
isterium,  of  conveying  to  them  the  congratulations  of 
the  Mother  Synod.     It  was  a  magnificent  festival.     .     . 

.  .  A  mighty  tent,  holding  5,000  had  been  erected 
for  the  chief  celebration.  The  King  and  the  Church  of 
Sweden  had  sent  the  Bishop  of  Gotland,  Dr.  von  Scheele, 
as  their  special  delegate.  He  appeared  in  full  vestments, 
and  handed  to  the  President  of  Synod,  Pastor  Swaerd, 
the  King's  letter  of  Commission,  which  the  President 
read  in  a  loud  voice,  both  in  Swedish  and  in  English,  and 
then  greeted  the  royal  ambassador  in  the  name  of  the 
Augustana  Synod.  The  Bishop  made  the  festival  ad- 
dress: The  everlasting  Gospel  as  the  most  glorious 
heritage  for  which  we  must  thank  the  Day  of  Upsala. 
Even  for  those  who,  not  knowing  the  language,  could 
not  follow  his  eloquent  speech  in  all  its  details,  it  was 
a  pleasure  to  read  the  effect  of  his  words  in  the  faces 
of  the  open-hearted  Swedes,  who  hung  on  his  lips  with 

closest  attention  and  with  moist  eyes In 

the  afternoon  Dr.  Sigmund  Fritschel  presented  the  con- 
gratulations of  the  Seminary  Faculty  of  the  Iowa  Synod. 

.  .  .  .  He  warmly  praised  the  valuable  service 
rendered  by  Sweden  in  upholding  and  disseminating  the 
Gospel  in  Europe.  His  words  called  out  a  most  un- 
expected and  affecting  response  from  the  Bishop.  He 
asked  for  the  floor  as  a  special  privilege,  and  replied  in 
fluent  and  correct  German:  'While  in  the  providence 
of  God  it  was  granted  to  the  Swedish  nation  to  do  great 


150  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

and  lasting  things  for  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  let  us  never 
forget  that  it  was  the  Germans  who  gave  to  the  world 
and  to  the  Church  the  Augsburg  Confession.  And 
thanks  be  to  God  that,  in  the  memorable  and  decisive 
year  1593,  there  was  in  Sweden  truth  and  honesty 
enough,  and  modesty  and  humility  enough  to  recognize 
the  worth  of  the  Augustana,  and  to  adopt  it  as  the  Con- 
fession of  the  Church  of  Sweden,  instead  of  making 
any  attempt  to  formulate  another  Confession.'  "  (Erin- 
nerungen. ) 

On  his  way  to  Rock  Island  Bishop  von  Scheele  had 
been  a  guest  in  the  parsonage  of  St.  Johannis,  and  dur- 
ing the  celebration  Dr.  Spaeth  had  the  great  pleasure  of 
spending  several  additional  days  with  him  under  the 
hospitable  roof  of  Pastor  Olson,  where  Pastors  Carlson 
and  Norelius  were  also  entertained.  Dr.  Spaeth  attended 
the  Commencement  of  Augustana  College,  and  of  the 
Seminary,  making  an  address  at  the  latter,  June  8th. 
After  a  great  banquet  of  the  Alumni  came  the  College 
Commencement,  "in  the  big  tent,  with  a  concourse  of 
about  5,000  people!  There  is  a  wonderful  inspiration 
in  these  Swedish  audiences.  .  .  .  The  whole  cele- 
bration was  beautiful,  dignified,  inspiring  to  a  degree 
that  makes  it  equal  our  Luther  Jubilee  in  1883."  (A.  S. 
to  H.  R.  S.) 

In  1899,  Dr.  Spaeth  wrote  the  congratulation  of  the 
Ministerium  on  the  two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
founding  of  the  Francke  institutions  in  Halle,  Germany, 
which  was  signed  by  the  President  and  Secretaries  of 
Synod,  by  Dr.  Spaeth  and  Dr.  Seiss.  Throughout  his 
active  ministry  he  was  frequently  called  upon  for  conse- 
crations of  churches,  organs,  bells,  stained  windows ;  for 
installing  pastors ;  for  introducing  the  Kirchenbuch ;  for 
festival  sermons ;  for  dedicating  monuments.  Among  the 
first  of  these  occasions,  curiously  enough,  was  the  con- 
secration of  an  English  church,   St.   Stephen's,  in  the 


THE  BOOK  OF  CONCORD  151 

summer  of  1866.  Nearly  everyone  was  out  of  town, 
and,  as  the  presiding  genius  of  the  little  chapel  naively 
told  him,  he  was  only  invited  because  they  could  not 
get  anyone  else!  The  Diary  records  his  pleasure  in 
meeting  the  Pastor,  Dr.  Krauth,  but  it  is  not  surprising 
that  his  general  attitude  toward  the  ceremonies  "was 
quite  cool,  not  to  say  'frosty!'  " 

Dr.  Spaeth  preached  comparatively  seldom  in  any 
pulpit  but  his  own,  during  the  meetings  of  Synod.  When 
within  reach  of  Philadelphia  he  liked  to  come  home  for 
Trinity  Sunday,  and  to  preach  on  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
and  Nicodemus,  always  a  great  favorite  with  him.  He 
often  regretted  that,  in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  so 
many  pastors  from  their  pulpits,  the  beautiful  Trinity 
Gospel  was  so  little  used  as  a  text.  In  1880,  at  the 
celebration  of  the  three  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
Book  of  Concord,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  May,  he  made 
the  principal  address  before  the  Synod  in  Lancaster ;  and 
later  before  the  New  York  Synod  in  Canajoharie  also. 
This  was  published  at  once,  and  a  very  appreciative 
notice  appeared  in  the  Lutheran,  from  the  pen  of  Dr. 
Krauth,  who,  at  that  time,  had  no  idea  of  the  relation 
which  was  so  soon  to  be  established  between  him  and  his 
young  clerical  brother.  He  says:  "The  discourse  of 
Dr.  Spaeth  is  in  every  way  worthy  of  him  and  of  its 
great  theme.  Full  of  the  hallowed  fire  of  a  pure  devo- 
tion, rich  in  facts,  principles  and  suggestions,  it  leaves 
nothing  to  be  desired  that  could  be  expected  in  the  com- 
pass of  a  brief  address.  We  have  but  one  regret  for 
those  who  merely  read  it, — the  regret  that  they  could 
not  have  heard  it,  with  all  the  power  and  charm  with 
which  it  was  invested  in  the  living  presentation  of  it  by 
the  orator." 


152  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 


THE  SYNODICAL  JUBILEE 

In  1895,  Synod  appointed  a  Central  Jubilee  Commit- 
tee, Dr.  Spaeth,  Chairman,  to  devise  a  plan  for  celebrat- 
ing worthily  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  the  Ministerium.  This  Committee  proposed  to  collect 
a  fund  of  $150,000  for  synodical,  especially  educational 
purposes.  For  two  years  it  published  a  quarterly,  "Our 
Jubilee,"  intended  to  show  in  text  and  illustration  what 
the  Synod  had  accomplished,  and  what  still  lay  before 
it,  and  tried  by  every  means  to  foster  an  interest  among 
our  congregations  in  the  approaching  festival.  In  1898 
the  Synod  convened  in  Zion's  church.  "Its  one  hundred 
and  fiftieth  anniversary  was  to  have  been  held  there,  and 
the  festival  committee,  including  the  Pastor  and  organist 
of  that  church,  decided  to  conduct  the  service  after  the 
ancient  form  for  Vespers.  It  is  almost  incredible  that 
the  authorities  in  the  congregation  protested  against  this. 
Although  this  form  had  been  used  more  than  once  in 
Zion's,  at  Mission  and  Sunday  school  festivals,  without 
offence  to  anyone,  the  Mother  Synod  was  curtly  for- 
bidden to  use  such  a  program  for  her  Jubilee  Service! 
Nothing  remained  but  to  hold  the  service  in  St.  Johannis, 
where  the  choir,  without  further  preparation,  could  carry 
out  the  festival  program  in  old  churchly  spirit,  as  ar- 
ranged." (Erinnerungen.)  The  church  was  handsomely 
decorated,  the  historical  hymns  on  the  program,  which 
had  been  used  at  the  founding  of  the  Ministerium  in 
St.  Michael's,  and  at  the  corner-stone  laying  of  Zion's, 
were  perfectly  familiar  to  choir  and  congregation.  Dr. 
Spaeth  preached  the  sermon,  dividing  the  history  of  the 
Ministerium,  and  incidentally  that  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  America,  into  three  periods.  In  closing  he 
reminded  his  hearers  of  the  mutual  confidence  existing 
in  the  early  years  of  our  history,  between  pastor  and  con- 
gregation, as  an  example  worthy  of  imitation  still. 


DOCUMENTARY  HISTORY  OF  SYNOD  153 

In  1896  a  work  of  great  permanent  value  and  interest 
had  been  put  into  the  hands  of  another  Committee,  of 
which  Dr.  Spaeth  was  also  chairman,  his  colleagues  being 
Dr.  Jacobs  and  Dr.  Spieker.  This  was  a  Jubilee  Me- 
morial Volume,  more  exactly:  "A  Documentary  History 
of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Ministerium  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  Adjacent  States.  Proceedings  of  the  annual 
convention  from  1748  to  1821  compiled  and  translated 
from  records  in  the  Archives  and  from  written  proto- 
cols." In  1898  the  Committee  reported  the  publication 
of  one  volume,  giving,  in  161  pages,  an  account  of 
conventions  from  1748  to  1780,  gathered  from  cor- 
respondence and  diaries,  no  protocol  existing  of  that 
period.  Part  II  contained  full  and  exact  reproduction  in 
English,  of  the  written  protocol  from  1781  to  1821, 
the  year  with  which  the  first  volume  of  this  protocol 
closes.  Other  valuable  material  was  omitted,  as  the 
Committee  did  not  wish  to  exceed  the  limit  of  600  pages. 
The  Committee  was  continued,  with  instruction  to  pub- 
lish another  volume;  but  so  little  interest  was  shown  in 
the  first  volume,  that  its  sales  never  justified  them  in 
going  on  with  the  publication. 

THE  DISTRICT   CONFERENCES 

For  many  years  after  Pastor  Spaeth  entered  the 
Synod,  its  discussions  were  much  occupied  with  questions 
concerning  the  boundaries,  the  number,  the  rights  and 
duties  of  the  synodical  conferences.  In  1878  a  paper 
proposing  various  plans  for  meeting  the  practical  diffi- 
culties caused  by  the  increasing  size  of  Synod,  and  the 
great  extent  of  its  territory,  was  referred  to  a  committee 
of  two  ministers  and  one  layman  from  each  conference. 
Dr.  Spaeth  was  Chairman  of  this  committee,  his  col- 
leagues from  the  first  Conference  being  Dr.  Seiss  and 
Mr.  L.  L.  Houpt.     Reporting  in  1879  the  Committee 


154  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

found  no  cause  for  dividing  the  Ministerium,  but  pro- 
posed that  much  of  the  business  of  Synod  be  transferred 
to  conferences,  leaving  more  time  for  consideration  of 
the  general  interests  of  the  Church.  In  1881  the  ques- 
tion of  dividing  the  Synod  was  again  given  to  a  special 
committee.  In  1882  this  committee,  of  which  Dr. 
Krotel  was  Chairman,  and  Dr.  Laird,  with  Pastors 
Kohler  and  Wischan  were  the  clerical  members,  reported 
against  the  division  of  Synod  into  English  and  German, 
but  suggested  dropping  the  word  "German"  from  the 
legal  title  of  the  Ministerium,  which  was  adopted.  In 
1893  a  thorough  reconstruction  of  Conferences  was 
effected.  The  territory,  including  the  India  Mission, 
was  divided  into  nine  conferences,  which  were  to  be 
designated  by  names  instead  of  numbers,  and  which  em- 
braced both  a  German  and  an  English  Conference, 
centering  in  Philadelphia,  to  which  the  duties  of  the  two 
Boards  of  City  Missions  were  given.  Under  the  Con- 
stitution any  German  congregation  could  be  transferred 
to  the  Philadelphia  German  Conference. 

From  1900  to  1903,  and  again  in  1907  and  1908  Dr. 
Spaeth  was  President  of  this  Conference.  Many  of  his 
official  sermons  were  printed  in  the  Kirchenbote  (1900- 
1908),  having  been  taken  down  in  shorthand  by  Pastor 
Goedel.  The  tour  of  the  Leipzig  Quartette  was  first 
proposed  in  the  German  Conference,  to  whose  energy 
and  enthusiasm  much  of  the  success  of  the  concerts  may 
be  ascribed. 

THE   PASTORAL   CONFERENCE 

From  the  very  beginning  of  his  pastorate  in  Philadel- 
phia Mr.  Spaeth's  Diary  contains  frequent  reference  to 
the  Conferences.  October  28,  1865.  "Afternoon  in 
Dr.  Krotel's  study,  for  the  re-organization  of  the  Lu- 
theran Pastoral  Association.  Only  five  there,  so  nothing 
was  done."    November  6th.  "Saw  Dr.  Krotel  in  regard 


PASTORAL  CONFERENCES  155 

to  Pastoral  Association.  Nothing  done."  This  associa- 
tion may  have  been  an  informal  continuation  of  the 
meetings  held  by  Muehlenberg  and  his  colleagues  before 
the  founding  of  Synod,  and  having  no  official  character 
or  connection  with  the  Ministerium.  By  January,  1866, 
the  Association  had  been  resuscitated.  January  5th. 
"Yesterday  and  today  working  on  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  for  the  Pastoral  Conference."  January  27th. 
"Pastoral  Association  well  attended.  Appealed  to  me 
especially."  January  10,  1868.  "Dr.  Seiss  and  I  to 
prepare  Theses  on  Baptism."  February  17th.  "Theses 
discussed.  Quite  instructive,  but  the  tone  of  Conference 
is  not  serious  enough  with  holy  things."  He  thought 
the  members  bound  themselves  too  strictly  by  parliamen- 
tary rules;  and  Dr.  Krauth  "made  too  many  jokes!" 
Membership  in  this  German-English  Conference,  as  well 
as  in  the  German  Pastoral  Conference  organized  many 
years  later,  was  open  to  any  pastor  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Ministerium  who  served  a  congregation  in  or  near 
Philadelphia.  They  were  both  purely  voluntary  asso- 
ciations. Concerning  the  founding  of  the  German 
Pastoral  Conference,  Pastor  H.  D.  E.  Siebott  writes: 
On  February  13,  1888,  it  was  organized  in  the  old 
Seminary  building  on  Franklin  Street.  Dr.  Grahn  issued 
the  call.*  There  were  present  Drs.  Mann,  Spaeth  and 
Grahn,  Pastors  Nidecker,  Weiskotten,  Bender,  Dizinger,. 
Linz,  Gardner,  Pohle  and  Jelden.  Dr.  Spaeth  also  regu- 
larly attended  the  English-German  Conference,  and  it 
was  he  who,  at  this  first  meeting  of  the  German  Pastoral 
Conference,  moved  that  the  German  brethren  should 
thenceforth  meet  more  regularly,  every  two  weeks  (there 
seem  to  have  been  informal  gatherings  before  that  time), 
and  observe  a  regular  order  of  business,  "as  is  done  in 
the    English-German    Conference."      At    this    meeting 

*  The  date  is  significant  to  those  who  recall  the  history  of  the 
Council  and  Ministerium  in  those  days. 


156  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

Pastor  Nidecker  was  elected  Chairman,  and  Pastor 
Pohle  Secretary.  Dr.  Spaeth  was  asked  to  prepare  the 
first  exegetical  paper  for  the  next  meeting,  on  the 
Pericope  for  the  ninth  Sunday  after  Trinity:  Luke 
16:  1-9.  Although  Dr.  Spaeth  never  accepted  office  in 
this  German  Pastoral  Conference,  he  was  one  of  the 
most  faithful  attendants  at  its  meetings,  to  the  end  of 
his  life.  "My  Pastoral  Conference  meeting  has  its  place 
on  my  calendar  as  a  regular  appointment"  he  used  to 
say,  and  he  never  missed  it  without  good  and  valid 
cause. 

THE  ORPHANS'   HOME 

As  part  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  work  in  the  Synod,  his  con- 
nection with  the  Orphans'  Home  in  Germantown  may 
also  be  mentioned.  The  Home  had  been  opened  in  1859 
in  a  rented  house.  A  few  months  later  the  present 
property  was  purchased,  and  in  i860  the  Old  People's 
Home  was  founded.  The  institution  was  very  poorly 
supported.  In  1864  Synod  began  to  make  appropriations 
for  the  reception  of  half-orphans  of  ministers,  and  to 
appoint  regular  visitors  to  the  Home.  In  1869  the 
Board  asked  Synod  to  elect  three  Trustees,  but  as  this 
required  some  changes  in  the  Charter  it  was  not  feasible 
until  1872.  From  that  year  on  Synod  elected  six  Trus- 
tees regularly,  and  at  their  meeting  in  the  same  year, 
the  Lady  Visitors  elected  Pastor  Spaeth  and  two  other 
Trustees.  In  March,  at  the  anniversary  of  the  Home 
in  Zion's,  Pastor  Spaeth  had  taken  part  in  the  services. 
In  reporting  these  events  the  Lutherische  Zeitschrift 
advised,  owing  to  a  deficit  of  $10,000  and  other  diffi- 
culties, that  the  whole  place  be  sold,  and  a  new  beginning 
made  somewhere  else! 

In  1884  Dr.  Spaeth  was  elected  Recording  Secretary 
of  the  Board,  serving  for  nine  months.  Until  1885  he 
was  a  member  of  the  School  Committee,  and  in  January, 


PRESIDENT  OF  THE  COUNCIL  157 

1885,  he  was  appointed  as  one  of  the  first  Spiritual  Com- 
mittee, to  take  care  of  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  old 
people  in  the  Asylum.  He  was  present  for  the  last  time 
at  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  held  June 
10,  1890,  after  their  resignation,  offered  in  consequence 
of  the  File  defalcation,  had  been  declined  by  Synod. 

THE   GENERAL   COUNCIL 

The  Biography  of  Dr.  Krauth  describes  in  detail  the 
exclusion  of  the  delegates  of  the  Pennsylvania  Synod 
from  the  meeting  of  the  General  Synod  in  Fort  Wayne, 
in  1866,  and  the  founding  of  the  General  Council, 
December  14th,  at  a  convention  of  Lutherans  true  to 
the  Confessions,  held  in  Reading,  Pa.  In  1867  the  new 
organization  met  for  the  first  time  in  Fort  Wayne,  in 
the  same  church  in  which,  the  year  before,  the  Pennsyl- 
vania delegation  had  been  so  roughly  handled.  "I  was 
not  present  at  the  Convention  in  Reading,  nor  at  the 
first  meeting  of  the  General  Council.  But  since  1868, 
when  I  was  sent  for  the  first  time  as  delegate  from  my 
Synod  to  the  Council  I  have  only  missed  two  meetings; 
in  Jamestown,  1874,  on  account  of  sickness  in  my 
family,  and  in  Buffalo,  1891,  when  I  spent  the  autumn 
and  winter  in  Europe,  for  my  health.  In  all  these  years 
the  General  Council  has  given  me  so  much  to  do  that  I 
may  well  say  that  a  large  part  of  my  life  work  has 
been  devoted  to  this  body.  At  the  first  meeting  which 
I  attended,  to  my  great  surprise  I  was  elected  German 
Secretary,  an  office  which  I  filled  for  five  years.  In 
1880,  when  my  father-in-law  Dr.  C.  P.  Krauth  was 
compelled  by  ill  health  to  remain  away  from  the  meeting 
in  Greensburg,  I  was  chosen  as  his  successor  in  the 
President's  chair,*  occupying  it  until,  in  1888,  Dr.  Seiss 
was  elected  in  Minneapolis. 

*  There  was  some  feeling  among  certain  English  elements  over 
this   evidence   of   undue    "western    influences"   in   the   Council,   but 


158  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

"The  official  sermons  or  addresses  which  I  was  called 
on  to  prepare  for  the  opening  of  Council,  gave  me  oc- 
casion to  venture  on  using  the  English  language.  These 
sermons  required  naturally  most  careful  preparation  in 
the  minutest  detail,  and  I  did  not  trust  myself  to  deliver 
them  without  manuscript,  as  I  would  have  preached  in 
German.  In  the  strictest  homiletical  sense  of  the  word 
they  were  not  really  sermons,  but  "Essays"  in  which 
some  timely  subject  was  treated,  and  which  were  read. 
Later  they  were  printed."     (Erinnerungen.) 

Rochester,  October  20,  1881.  "My  first  English 
sermon  (Having  and  Not  Having)  is  delivered,  and  I 
cannot  tell  you  how  relieved  and  thankful  I  feel.  .  .  . 
I  spoke  without  the  least  effort  or  fatigue.  The  atten- 
tion of  all  was  very  close  and  satisfactory.  I  was  not, 
however,  quite  as  free  from  the  manuscript  as  I  had 
expected  to  be.  Dr.  Schmucker,  whose  judgment  is  the 
very  highest  to  me,  congratulated  me :     'Nothing  but  the 

purest  English,'  etc Some  of  the  other 

English  friends  are  evidently  and  amusingly  surprised 
that  'a  German'  should  have  had  the  courage  to  do  such 
a  thing,  and  that  it  should  have  turned  out  a  success  on 
the  whole."     (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.) 

Lancaster,  O.,  1882.  "The  English  sermon  (Luther 
an  ensample  for  our  time)  seemed  to  make  a  deep  im- 
pression. Dr.  Seiss  said  to  me,  in  the  presence  of  half 
a  dozen  brethren:  'This  was  my  Reformation  text,  but 
you  made  a  much  better  sermon  of  it  than  I  did.  It 
must  be  printed  and  go  out  as  a  testimony !'  Dr.  Passa- 
vant  proposes  to  'print  it  as  a  tract,*  and  scatter  it  broad- 
cast over  our  land.'  "  (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.) 

the  Lutheran  expressed  its  appreciation  of  the  manner  in  which 
he  presided, — "though  a  German!" 

*  It  appeared  as  No.  1  Tracts  for  the  Churches. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  COUNCIL  159 


THE  MONROE  SERMON 

The  German  sermon  preached  in  Monroe,  Mich.,  in 
1884,  on  the  History  of  the  General  Council,  was  pub- 
lished in  English  by  the  Pastoral  Association  of  Phila- 
delphia,   in    1885.      Dr.    J.    G.    Morris,    at    that   time 
President  of  the  General  Synod,  was  most  particularly 
anxious    that   the    pamphlet,    which    appeared    first    in 
German,  should  be  published  also  in  English.*     In  re- 
viewing this  History  of  the  General  Council,  Dr.  B.  M. 
Schmucker  says:     "Dr.  Spaeth  was  specially  fitted  for 
this  task.     He  had  no  part  in  the  struggles  which  pre- 
ceded the  organization  of  the  Council,  he  had  no  per- 
sonal antagonisms  of  any  kind,  he  is  therefore  a  calm, 
impartial  student  of  the  past.     He  has  proven  himself  a 
capable  and  diligent  examiner  of  the  successive  phases 
of    history    through    which    the    Lutheran    Church    in 
America  has  passed  in  the  present  century.     The  dis- 
course now  published  is  a  clear  and  accurate  statement 
of  the  history  of  the  Council,  and  especially  of  the  move- 
ments attending  its  formation."     In  the   same  article 
Dr.  Schmucker  prints  the  story  of  his  journey  with  his 
father  to  the  General  Svnod  in  Fort  Wayne,  and  the 
frank  disclosure  by  Dr.  S.  S.  Schmucker  of  the  Synod's 
intention  toward  the  delegates  of  the  Pennsylvania  Min- 
isterium. 

The  "Monroe  Sermon"  caused  a  good  deal  of  com- 
ment, mostly  unfriendly,  in  the  General  Synod.     Dr. 

*  Dr.  Morris  had  been  an  intimate  friend  of  Dr.  Charles  Philip 
Krauth,  was  greatly  interested  in  the  development  of  Charles 
Porterfield  Krauth  from  the  beginning  of  his  career,  and  had 
baptized  his  daughter  who  became  Dr.  Spaeth's  wife.  He  and  Dr. 
Spaeth  were  always  on  very  friendly  terms,  and  in  1878  the  latter 
had  written  in  English  a  History  of  the  General  Council  for  ten 
years,  which  appeared  in  Dr.  Morris'  "Fifty  Years  in  the  Lutheran 
Ministry." 


160  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

Joel  Schwarz  writes:  "Some  reading  that  is  not  very- 
pleasant,  but  very  useful  to  those  among  us  of  the 
General  Synod  who  are  dying  for  union  with  the 
General  Council,  is  furnished  in  a  very  able  sermon 
lately  preached  by  that  distinguished  scholar  and  divine 
Dr.  Adolph  Spaeth  (October  16,  1884),  and  'Printed 
for  the  Pastoral  Association  in  Philadelphia.' "  He 
assumes  that  Dr.  Spaeth  represents  the  position  of  the 
Council,  and  is  endorsed  by  the  General  Council  Pastors 
of  Philadelphia.  This  being  so,  it  would  be  a  good 
thing  for  "our  zealous  and  hopeful  advocates  for  organic 
union  and  co-operation  to  read,  before  ventilating  their 
rose-colored  schemes  and  prospects  for  uniting  the 
Council  to  the  Synod.  There  is  enough  ice-water  in 
the  big  blanket  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  address  to  chill  the  body 
soul  and  spirit  of  the  most  sanguine  unionist  in  the 

General  Synod But  with  all  its  chilliness, 

there  is  a  certain  bracing  air  of  honesty,  candor  and 
plain  dealing  in  Dr.  Spaeth's  address,  which  is  admirable 
as  compared  with  the  sentimentalism  which  cannot  see 
the  real  hindrances  in  the  way  to  a  speedy  union." 
{Lutheran  Observer.) 

Less  appreciative  and  good-natured  were  other  writers 
in  the  Observer,  who  for  over  six  months  persisted  in 
attacking  Dr.  Spaeth,  even  while  he  was  in  Europe. 
The  matter  culminated  in  Dr.  M.  Valentine's  article: 
"The  Effort  to  Reconstruct  History  in  the  Interest  of 
the  General  Council,"  first  published  in  the  Lutheran 
Quarterly.  Dr.  Spaeth  replied  to  this  article,  ignoring 
the  personal  abuse  to  which  the  author  descended,  re- 
minding him  that  the  discourse  concerned  only  the  action 
and  attitude  of  the  General  Synod  up  to  1866,  without 
a  word  as  to  the  present  state  of  things  in  that  body, 
and  without  passing  judgment  on  it  or  on  any  of  its 
members.  Dr.  Jacobs  called  attention  to  Dr.  Spaeth's 
article  as  "A  deserved  Rebuke."    He  wrote:    "The  facts 


DELEGATE  TO  ROSTOCK  161 

were  so  well  known  to  those  who  were  interested  in 
church  affairs  at  that  time,  and  especially  were  so  clearly- 
supported  by  the  immense  amount  of  documentary  evi- 
dence, which,  in  his  preparation  of  Dr.  Krauth's  memoir, 
Dr.  Spaeth  has  accumulated  from  all  directions,  that  it 
was  not  thought  that  there  would  be  any  serious  attempt 

to  dispute  them Although  the  discussion 

of  this  subject  is  about  two  years  out  of  date,  .... 
it  is  well  that  Dr.  Spaeth  indicates  briefly  a  few  of  the 
numerous  points  of  weakness  in  the  article  referred  to. 

.  .  .  We  are  especially  gratified  with  the  discrim- 
ination between  different  tendencies  in  the  General 
Synod  with  which  Dr.   Spaeth  ends." 

In  addition  to  holding  the  offices  of  German  Secretary 
and  President,  Dr.  Spaeth  served  the  General  Council 
as  Chairman  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Executive  Commit- 
tee *  from  1876  to  1 89 1,  when  he  was  made  President 
of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board;  as  co-editor  of  the 
Missionsbote  for  most  of  these  years;  as  member  of  the 
committees  on  the  Diaconate,  on  church  music,  and 
many  others;  as  German  Secretary  of  the  Kirchenbuch 
Committee;  as  Chairman  of  the  German  Sonntagschul- 
buch  Committee,  1873  to  1&77 ",  as  a  Trustee  of  the 
Council  after  1880;  as  its  representative  in  the  Engeren 
Conferenz  der  Allgemeinen  Lutherischen  Conferenz  in 
Europe.  He  was  twice  sent  as  its  delegate  to  the  Allge- 
meine  Conferenz,  to  Hamburg  in  1887,  and  to  Rostock 
in  1904.     His  address  in  Hamburg  was  made  the  pre- 

*  November  30,  1876.  "At  its  last  meeting  our  General  Council 
appointed  me  Chairman  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Committee,  there- 
by laying  a  new  burden  on  my  shoulders.  Unhappily  the  result 
of  such  overloading  is,  that  one  can  only  do  hastily  what  one  would 
gladly  do  well;  and  altogether  one's  working  power  is  rather 
frittered  away,  than  concentrated.  It  also  makes  me  often  ner- 
vous and  irritable,  for  it  is  a  pure  impossibility  to  do  everything 
at  the  same  time,  that  is  required  of  me  on  all  sides,  and  to  do 
it  right."— (A.  S.  to  E.  W.) 


162  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

text  for  most  unexpected  and  widespread  disturbance  in 
the  Church,  and  will  be  taken  up  in  this  connection  later. 

In  Rostock  Dr.  Spaeth  not  only  represented  the  Gen- 
eral Council  in  the  "Engeren  Konferenz"  but  also,  in 
the  public  assembly,  treated  the  theme  which  had  been 
assigned  to  him:  The  International  Significance  of 
the  Lutheran  Confession.  This  was  translated  by  Dr. 
J.  Duncan  Spaeth  for  the  Review,  January,  1905,  and 
was  also  printed  separately.  Of  this  address  the  Alter 
Glaube  of  October  14,  1904,  says:  "Dr.  Spaeth  of 
Philadelphia,  a  Wuerttemberger  by  birth,  who  had  re- 
ceived his  theological  education  in  the  Tuebingen  Stift, 
traced  to  his  hearers  the  course  of  the  Gospel  from 
Rome  to  Germany,  and  from  Germany  to  America;  and 
then  described  the  entrance  of  the  Lutheran  spirit  into 
the  English  world,  which,  while  indeed  once  frustrating 
the  historical  course  of  the  Reformation,  was  now,  with 
resistless  power,  furthering  it, — an  event  to  be  estimated 
as  one  of  the  most  important  in  Church  History. 

"Naturally  all  eyes  were  at  once  turned  on  the  dis- 
tinguished representative  of  the  American  General 
Council.  He  embodies  in  his  own  person  the  bond  that 
unites  us  with  North  America.  When  he  looked  back,  a 
slight  tremor  of  homesickness  was  in  his  voice.  He 
thought  of  the  rich  portion  which  he  had  received  in 
Germany  from  pious  parents,  from  faithful  teachers, 
from  the  ideality  of  his  comrades,  and  had  carried  with 
him  across  the  ocean.  But  looking  forward  his  eye 
sparkled  with  triumph  and  hope.  He  saw  the  aspiring 
American  nation,  and,  with  her  rapid  growth,  found 
the  best  pledge  for  her  future  in  the  healthy  heart's 
blood  of  the  Lutheran  faith.  But  that  is  in  fact  the 
epoch  through  which  we  all,  many  of  us  unconsciously, 
are  passing  in  these  days.  The  history  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  has  also  turned  its  face  westward.  What  in 
Europe,  enfeebled  by  old  age,  is  now  declining,  shall 


CHURCH  FELLOWSHIP  163 

revive,  shall  renew  its  strength,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
sea."  On  the  thirty-first  of  January,  1905,  the  Diary 
records  that  Dr.  Spaeth  "wrote  a  letter  to  President 
Roosevelt,  sending  him  the  Rostock  address,  on  account 
of  his  warm  and  intelligent  tribute  to  the  Lutheran 
Church  at  the  re-opening  of  Dr.  Butler's  Memorial 
church  in  Washington." 


THE  GALESBURG  RULE 

"A  discussion  of  the  greatest  importance,  which  from 
the  first  convention  on,  kept  the  General  Council  for 
years  in  great  agitation,  and  led  to  the  withdrawal  of 
several  western  Synods,  was  the  question  of  the  admis- 
sion of  non-Lutherans  to  our  pulpits  and  altars.  The 
great  difficulty  lay  in  treating  such  a  question,  which 
really  belongs  in  the  sphere  of  doctrine  and  confession, 
according  to  parliamentary  usage;  in  attempting  to 
reach  a  conclusion  by  the  clumsy  means  of  motions, 
amendments,  and  final  resolutions,  instead  of  discussing 
the  principles  underlying  the  doctrine  involved,  by  means 

of    Theses Never    was   this    more    clearly 

shown  than  when  all  the  earlier  resolutions  passed  on 
this  question  culminated  in  the  so-called  Galesburg  Rule: 
Lutheran  pulpits  for  Lutheran  ministers  only;  Lutheran 
altars  for  Lutheran  communicants  only;  and  this  not 
merely  as  a  regulation  for  pastoral  usage,  but  as  a 
principle  grounded  on  the  Word  of  God  and  the  Con- 
fessions of  the  Church.  Very  gradually,  and  against 
much  opposition,  had  this  declaration  been  reached.     . 

.  .  Even  the  conservative  leaders  of  the  General 
Council,  who  took  the  question  seriously,  were  slow  in 
rising  above  the  opinion  that  the  whole  matter  belonged 
to  pastoral  theology.  .  .  .  Dr.  Krauth  indeed  was 
clearly  aware  of  the  inconsequence  of  this  position,  and 
saw  that  the  question  would  be  at  once  and  correctly 


164  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

settled  only  by  adopting  the  view  of  the  Iowa  Synod. 
In  1 87 1,  in  private  conversation,  he  had  declared  to  me 
his  firm  conviction  that  no  other  satisfactory  solution 
of  the  difficulty  was  possible. 

"This  was  the  position  formally  taken  in  the  Gales- 
burg  Declaration  of  1875.  But  the  storm  raised  by  this 
action,  particularly  in  the  English  portions  of  the  General 
Council,  showed  clearly  that,  after  ten  years'  discussion 
we  had  only  reached  the  point  where  we  ought  to  have 
begun,  in  1867,  at  Fort  Wayne.  We  found  ourselves 
obliged,  in  order  to  reach  a  true  conviction  of  the  cor- 
rectness of  this  principle  and  of  its  conformity  with 
Scripture,  to  take  up  the  whole  question  stated  in 
thorough-going  Theses,  instead  of  trying  to  carry  out 
resolutions  of  the  majority  which  must  always  be  obnox- 
ious to  the  unconvinced  minority.  Accordingly,  at  the 
meeting  in  Bethlehem  (1876),  after  days  spent  in  fruit- 
less debate,  I  moved  that  the  President  of  the  General 
Council,  Dr.  Krauth,  be  appointed  to  prepare  a  series 
of  Theses  on  the  Galesburg  Declaration,  and  the  prin- 
ciple underlying  it.*  So  it  came  to  pass  that  in  1877, 
in  addition  to  the  fourteen  valuable  Articles  which  Dr. 
Krauth  had  already  published  in  the  Lutheran,  the 
pregnant  series  of  105  Theses  was  given  to  the 
Church 

"I  need  make  no  secret  of  the  influence  on  my  own 
personal  and  official  relation  to  this  question,  exerted 
by  my  friend  Sigmund  Fritschel Long  be- 
fore there  was  a  Galesburg  Rule  its  spirit  guided  me  in 
St.  Johannis  in  the  admission  of  communicants  to  the 
Lord's  Supper.  But  for  me,  too,  the  question  was,  for 
years,  merely  a  matter  of  pastoral  practice.  Only 
gradually  I  grasped  it  in  its  full  meaning,  as  a  question 
of  confessional  principle.     I  always  hoped  that  by  the 

*  See  Krauth  Biography,  II,  222  ff. 


EFFECT  OF  THE  GALESBURG  RULE  165 

same  gradual  development,  our  English  brethren  who 
were  true  to  the  Confession  would  reach  the  same  con- 
clusion. When,  in  1876,  the  New  York  Ministerium 
accepted  without  reserve  the  principles  of  the  Galesburg 
Rule,  and  Dr.  Krotel  resigned  his  office  as  President 
of  Synod  in  consequence  of  this  action,  I  sat  with  him 
until  midnight  one  evening,  trying  to  convince  him  that 
one  who  was  so  faithful  and  decided  in  his  confessional 
position,  and  so  conscientious  a  pastor  as  he  was,  should 
have  no  difficulty  whatever  with  the  Galesburg  Rule. 
I  fear,  however,  that  my  arguments  made  no  deep  or 
lasting  impression  on  him. 

"There  was  probably  no  pastor  in  the  General  Council 
whom  this  question  affected  so  deeply  and  so  painfully 
in  his  personal  and  domestic  life,  as  myself.  My  own 
wife,  who  later,  by  the  grace  of  God,  died  in  the  full 
Lutheran  faith,  but  whose  whole  religious  training  had 
been  of  a  distinctly  Calvinistic  character,  could  not  com- 
mune, under  the  Galesburg  Rule,  in  the  congregation  for 
whose  building  up  and  prosperity  she  had  always  labored 
with  so  much  self-denying  love  and  enthusiasm.  That 
was  not  easy  for  either  of  us,  but  we  went  through  with 
it  serenely  and  firmly,  not  attempting  to  hush  it  up, 
however  painful  it  might  be."     (Erinnerungen.) 


LITURGICS 

"As  a  child  of  the  Wuerttemberg  Church  I  had  no 
opportunity  in  my  youth  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
richer,  fuller  forms  of  the  Lutheran  liturgy.  The  ser- 
vice of  our  Church  in  Wuerttemberg  is  to  this  day  the 
simplest  that  one  can  imagine.  The  whole  participation 
of  the  congregation  is  limited  to  a  few  verses  of  a 
single  hymn,  two  or  three  of  which  are  sung  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  service,  and  one  at  the  end,  .... 
and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  great  Wuerttemberg 


166  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

reformer  Brenz  and  his  friend  Andreas  Osiander,  both 
good  Swabians,  prepared  the  excellent  Brandenburg- 
Nuremberg  Agenda  (1533)  on  which,  essentially,  our 
Kirchenbuch  is  based."  This  is  accounted  for,  partly 
by  the  natural  disposition  of  the  Swabian  who  cares 
little  for  forms,  and  in  religious  matters  is  always  sus- 
picious of  them  as  a  sign  of  spiritual  deadness ;  and  still 
more  by  the  history  of  the  compromise  between  the  Swiss 
Reformed  influence  and  a  pure  Lutheranism.  In  Wuert- 
temberg  the  Lutheran  doctrine  was  triumphant,  but  the 
Reformed  usages  were  fixed  in  the  affections  of  the 
people,  and  are  still  retained. 

"In  London,  in  1863,  I  first  had  the  opportunity  to 
hear  a  liturgical  service  carefully  prepared  and  well 
rendered.  It  was  in  the  German  court-chapel  .  .  . 
the  order  for  Morning  Prayer,  in  the  Anglican  Church. 
But  I  cannot  say  that  this  service  made  any  deep  im- 
pression on  me,  or  contributed  specially  to  my  edifica- 
tion  An  entirely  different  impression  was 

made  on  me,  when  I  first  heard  the  order  of  morning 
service  in  the  large  Zion's  church.  That  was  something 
quite  new  to  me,  but  pleasing  and  edifying  in  the  highest 
degree.  The  freshness  and  heartiness  with  which  the 
large  congregation  united  in  the  responses  of  the  liturgy 
did  me  good.  There  was  power  and  life  in  it."  This 
service  was  from  the  Pennsylvania  Agenda  of  1855, 
which  had  been  prepared  in  great  part  by  the  revered 
Dr.  Demme,  and  for  this  reason,  if  there  had  been  no 
other,  was  introduced  without  any  opposition  in  the 
congregation  which  was  greatly  attached  to  him. 

When  Muehlenberg  and  his  co-workers  founded  the 
Pennsylvania  Synod  in  1748  a  liturgy  had  already  been 
prepared,  which  was  adopted.  All  pastors  who  entered 
the  Synod  by  ordination  or  otherwise,  signed  a  pledge 
to  use  no  other  formula.  "This  first  liturgy  was  in 
manuscript,  of  which  each  pastor  made  a  copy  for  him- 


EARLY   LITURGIES  OF  SYNOD  167 

self,  and,  with  unimportant  exceptions,  agreed  with  the 
best  Saxon  and  North  German  orders,  which  were  fa- 
miliar to  Muehlenberg  in  his  pastoral  work  in  Germany." 
In  the  first  printed  Agenda  of  the  Pennsylvania  Synod, 
issued  1786,  various  alterations  were  made,  showing 
a  great  falling  off  from  the  conservative  churchly  char- 
acter of  the  old  manuscript.  "Still  poorer  was  the 
Liturgy  of  1818,  which  scarcely  retained  a  trace  of  a 
responsive  service,  and,  especially  in  the  order  of 
Baptism,  the  Communion  and  Ordination  showed  a 
giving  up  of  the  Lutheran  confessional  position,  and 
an  inclination  to  the  Rationalism  then  prevalent."  The 
hymns  were  treated  even  worse.  Only  one  of  Luther's 
hymns  is  retained  in  "this  wretched  Hymnbook."  A 
better  choice,  however,  could  not  have  been  made  than 
"Aus  tiefer  Noth  schrei  ich  zu  Dir,"  if  Luther  was  per- 
mitted a  voice  at  all.  "Undoubtedly  that  is  what  he 
would  have  sung,  if  he  could  have  looked  upon  this  dis- 
astrous field,  strewn  with  the  broken  fragments  of  the 
noblest  and  most  beautiful  treasures  of  our  hymnology !" 
Very  gradually  the  Mother-synod  extricated  herself 
from  this  impoverished  liturgical  and  hymnological 
condition.  The  Wollenweber  Hymnbook  (1849)  an(i 
the  liturgy  of  1855  represent  the  transition  period.  Dr. 
Mann  justly  said  that,  with  all  its  weaknesses,  the  old 
"Muehlenberg"  hymnbook  of  1 786  was  much  better  than 
the  new  one.  The  liturgy  of  1855  ^so>  while  aiming 
at  a  sounder  confessional  position,  and  a  more  historic 
liturgical  form,  permitted  many  abuses,  especially  in 
giving  more  than  one  form  for  ministerial  acts,  even  a 
second  form  for  the  communion,  with  its  unionistic 
words  of  distribution  "Unser  Herr  Jesus  Christus 
spricht,"  etc.,  and  in  substituting  bombastic,  oratorical 
general  and  festival  prayers,  for  the  noble,  concise  and 
scriptural  language  of  the  ancient  Church. 


i68  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

"When  the  Synod  appointed  a  committee  *  to  trans- 
late this  liturgy  into  English,  there  was  such  a  strong 
reaction  of  good  taste  and  riper  judgment  against  the 
imperfections  and  faults  of  the  liturgy  of  1855,  that  we 
may  date  a  new  era  in  the  liturgical  development  of  the 
old  Synod,  from  the  English  Liturgy  of  i860.  The 
Committee  had  made  itself  familiar  with  the  later  re- 
search and  work  of  conservative  liturgists  in  the  father- 
land, and  studied  the  older  sources  for  themselves.  . 
.  .  .  .  Out  of  this  book  the  English  Church  Book 
developed,  resulting  a  few  years  later  in  the  German 
Kirchenbuch.  Were  it  only  for  the  sake  of  historical 
truth,  we  Germans  should  never  forget  that  our  English 
brethren  were  the  pioneers  in  leading  us  back  to  the 
glorious  old  treasures  of  the  rich  order  of  worship  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  as  given  to  their  congregations  by 
our  great  Reformers." 

The  Kirchenbuch 

At  the  Convention  in  Reading,  1866,  where  Dr. 
Krauth's  Theses  on  Fundamental  Principles  of  Faith 
and  of  Church  Polity  were  discussed  and  adopted,  form- 
ing later  the  basis  of  the  General  Council's  constitution, 
a  committee  was  appointed,  in  which  all  the  synods  send- 
ing delegates  to  the  Reading  Convention  were  repre- 
sented, to  prepare  a  German  Hymnbook,  with  special 
consideration  for  the  work  already  done  by  the  Synods 
of  Wisconsin  and  Ohio  in  this  line.  The  first  committee 
seems  to  have  been  unwieldly.  Dr.  Mann,  added  to 
it  in  1867  as  Chairman  and  representative  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Synod,  withdrew,  fearing  that  any  part  taken 
by  the  Mother-synod  might  complicate  matters  with  the 

Drs.  C.  F.  and  C.  W.  Schaeffer,  C.  F.  Welden,  G.  F.  Krotel, 
and  B.  M.  Schmucker. 


COMMITTEE  ON  THE  KIRCHENBUCH  169 

publishers  of  the  Wollenweber  book.  This  anomaly 
could  not  last  long.  The  Pennsylvania  Ministerium  had 
called  the  General  Council  into  being.  Its  English 
Church  Book  had  been  adopted  by  the  Council  as  its 
own,  and  had  been  given  to  the  Committee  as  the  model 
for  the  new  German  book.  In  1868  Pastor  A.  T.  Geisen- 
hainer  represented  the  Pennsylvania  Synod  in  the  sub- 
committee appointed  to  prepare  the  sample  book  ordered 
to  be  printed  by  the  Chicago  Convention,  1869.  This 
sample  book,  being  put  together  by  one  man,  who  was 
not  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Ministerium,  hastily 
and  rather  ignorantly,  even  omitting  the  liturgy  which 
had  been  included  in  the  plan  of  the  General  Council, 
was  not  only  a  complete  failure,  but  involved  the  Council 
in  heavy  debt  for  some  years. 

"So  the  matter  stood  when,  in  1870,  I  was  added  to 
the  Committee  on  the  Kirchenbuch.  At  that  time  it  was 
composed  of  five  members:  Pastor  Wenzel,  Chairman; 
A.  S.,  Secretary;  S.  Fritschel,  G.  Grossman  and  A.  T. 

Geisenhainer In  the  years    1871    to    1874 

very  important  additions  were  made  to  this  Committee, 
in  the  following  members:  G.  Vorberg,  Dr.  B.  M. 
Schmucker,  E.  Heydler,  C.  F.  Hausmann,  J.  Endlich, 
E.  F.  Moldehnke,  W.  Wackernagel  and  Dr.  Ruperti, 
five  New  Yorkers  and  three  Pennsylvanians.  We  see 
how  the  balance  of  the  Committee  is  gradually  trans- 
ferred from  the  West  to  the  East.  Dr.  Schmucker 
formed  the  necessary  connecting  link  between  the  Eng- 
lish Church  Book  and  the  German,  and  through  his 
exact  liturgical  knowledge  rendered  most  valuable  ser- 
vice to  the  Committee.  Also,  in  the  hymnal  his  judg- 
ment was  often  decisive,  not  only  in  accepting  a  hymn, 
but  in  fixing  or  altering  its  form.  We  knew  that  he  had 
the  advantage  of  an  absolutely  objective  judgment,  while 
all  the  rest  of  us,  South  German  or  North  German,  were, 


170  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

often  unconsciously,  more  or  less  under  the  influence  of 
provincial  custom  and  habit. 

"From  this  time  on  the  work  of  the  Committee  was 
done  with  system  and  method.  The  various  periods  in 
which  hymns  were  written  were  assigned  to  different 
members.  .  .  .  The  poets  of  the  eighteenth  century 
fell  to  me.  At  that  time  there  was  no  collection  of 
their  works,  like  Wackernagel's  of  those  of  the  sixteenth 
century.  .  .  How  much  correspondence,  book  buy- 
ing and  research  were  often  needed,  to  get  the  desired 
information  concerning  a  single  hymn,  a  single  poet! 
And  many  a  time  the  quest  ended  after  all,  with  an 
unanswered  note  of  interrogation! 

"The  Committee  had  received  orders  to  conform 
strictly  to  the  English  Church  Book.  .  .  .  Here  and 
there,  on  the  ground  of  more  careful  investigation,  sug- 
gested departures  from  this  model  were  accepted  by  the 

Council For  the  Evening  Service  in  the 

Church  Book  a  composite  of  the  old  Matins  and  Vespers 
had  been  used,  an  unhappy  mongrel,  without  any  his- 
torical authority.  The  attempt  of  the  Committee  to 
substitute  a  service  conforming  more  strictly  to  liturgi- 
cal tradition  was  looked  upon  very  coldly  by  the  Council. 
In  1874  the  Committee  received  permission  to  prepare 
an  order  for  evening  service,  based  on  the  Vespers  of 
the  ancient  Church.  At  the  next  meeting  in  Bethlehem, 
1876,  a  practical  exposition  was  made  to  the  Council. 
Pastor  Weiskotten  had  drilled  his  fine  choir  in  the  re- 
sponses. A  special  rehearsal  of  the  Psalm  was  held 
with  the  German  members  of  the  Council  who  were  able 
to  sing.  Pastor  Brobst  had  printed  the  music.  Pro- 
fessor Sigmund  Fritschel  officiated  as  liturge,  even  in- 
toning the  service.  I  made  an  address  explaining  this 
beautiful  old  order  of  Vespers.  The  impression  made 
by  this  service  was  such,  that  next  day  the  resolution 
was  carried  without  opposition,  to  adopt  the  Vespers  for 


MINISTERIAL  ACTS  171 

the  German  Kirchenbuch.  Later  this  decision  was  ex- 
tended to  cover  the  Church  Book  also.* 

"In  1877  the  Kirchenbuch  was  so  far  completed  as  the 
Church  Book  was  at  that  time,  i.  e.,  the  chief  service, 
Matins  and  Vespers,  Psalms,  Collects  and  Hymns.  Now 
began  the  work  on  the  Ministerial  Acts,  for  which  both 
the  former  Committees,  English  and  German,  were  com- 
bined. Most  of  the  material  was  found,  naturally,  in 
the  German  Agenda  of  the  sixteenth  century.  From 
them  the  first  draft  of  the  Ministerial  Acts  was  to  be 
made.  This  work  was  entrusted  to  a  sub-committee,  to 
which  Drs.  Schmucker  and  Fritschel,  and  A.  S.  belonged. 
Later  Dr.  H.  E.  Jacobs  was  added  to  it.  The  remem- 
brance of  this  joint  work,  with  brethren  who  were  of 
one  heart  and  one  soul,  involving  the  valuation  of  our 
old  liturgical  treasures,  and  how  best  to  turn  them  to 
account,  is  to  this  day  one  of  the  most  delightful  recol- 
lections of  my  life. 

"Much  of  the  preparatory  work  was  done  in  the  sum- 
mer vacation  at  Cape  May  Point.  Dr.  Schmucker  came 
down  from  Pottstown  with  the  great,  heavy  trunk  con- 
taining the  most  valuable  treasures  of  our  liturgical 
library.  From  the  West  came  our  never-to-be-forgotten 
friend  Sigmund  Fritschel,  and,  in  our  modest  seaside 
home,  the  work  was  industriously  carried  on  for  weeks. 
When  we  were  tired  of  the  old  folios,  and  high  tide 
brought  the  longed-for  bathing  hour,  we  dropped  every- 
thing and  hurried  to  the  beach,  where  we  older  ones 
renewed  our  youth  with  the  boys. 

*  In  a  letter  written  in  1882,  Dr.  Spaeth  says :  "In  St.  Johannis 
our  Vesper  Service  is  taking  root  among  the  people  as  the  Haupt- 
gottesdienst  never  can  without  the  'Communio'  in  it.  It  is  always 
a  torso  without  that,  and  as  soon  as  the  liturgical  tact  is  somewhat 
developed  there  is  an  unconscious  feeling  of  incompleteness  about 
it.  In  the  Vesper  Service  it  is  the  very  reverse.  Short  as  it  is, 
it  leaves  you  satisfied,  it  is  complete." — (A.  S.  to  Hole.) 


172  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

"The  last  portion  of  this  work  on  which  Dr. 
Schmucker  was  directly  engaged,  was  the  order  for 
visiting  the  sick,  and  private  communion,  the  Commen- 
dation of  the  dying  and  the  burial  service.  Only  a 
fortnight  before  the  meeting  of  the  Council  in  1888,  we 
read  together  the  Scripture  passages,  words  of  benedic- 
tion and  Collects,  selecting  what  we  wished  to  use,     .     . 

.  .  and  more  than  once  he  expressed  with  unusual 
warmth  his  satisfaction  with  this  part  of  our  liturgical 
work.  Could  he  have  thought  that  before  many  weeks 
this  service  would  be  used  for  the  first  time  at  his  own 
coffin,  and  over  his  grave!"     (Erinnerungen.) 

THE   SONNTAGSCHULBUCH 

"In  1873,  at  the  request  of  the  Mother-synod  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  General  Council  resolved  to  publish  a 
German  Sonntagschulbuch,  similar  to  the  English 
Sunday  school  Book  which  had  appeared  in  that  year. 
When  the  resolution  was  passed,  Dr.  Krauth  sent  me  a 
little  note  from  the  President's  chair:  'Please  suggest 
names  for  German  Sunday  school  Book  Committee.'  I 
sent  him  the  names  which  seemed  to  me  most  suitable, 
only  men  of  whom  I  knew  that  they  had  been  working 
in  this  field,  or  had  been  training  children  in  spiritual 
song:  Pastors  Hoppe,  Frey,  Drees  and  Brobst,  then  my 
dear  friend  John  Endlich,  an  excellent  judge  of  music, 
and  the  two  most  experienced  teachers  of  our  Philadel- 
phia parish  schools,  Messrs.  Haas  and  Schnabel.  The 
President  accepted  them  all  as  the  Committee,  of  which 
he  named  me  Chairman.  Later  we  were  compelled 
to  ask  for  additional  forces,  and  the  original  committee 
was  strengthened  by  the  appointment  of  Drs.  Ruperti, 
Moldehnke  and  Schmucker,  and  Pastor  F.  W.  Weiskot- 

ten We  were  about  two  years  at  work; 

we  devoted  ourselves  gladly  and  zealously  to  it,  and 


THE  SONNTAGSCHULBUCH  173 

every  one  connected  with  it  tried  to  do  his  best."  They 
were  on  the  whole  unanimous  in  their  decisions.  Only 
one  member,  having  prepared  a  book  of  his  own,  con- 
sidered the  matter  ended,  and  was  greatly  distressed 
whenever  one  of  his  selections  was  thrown  overboard. 
The  difficulty  was  that  he  wished  to  use  only  such 
material  as  was  contained  in  the  average  German  books, 
well-known,  every-day  hymns.  "But  to  me,  in  those 
years  and  on  this  subject,  a  new  and  far  wider  perspec- 
tive had  opened.  I  had  studied  Hommel's  'Geistliches 
Volkslied,'  Zahn's  'Lieder  der  boehmischen  Brueder' 
and  other  sources,  including  Schoeberlein.  There,  to 
my  astonishment,  I  had  become  aware  of  the  unsuspected 
treasures  possessed  by  our  German  Christians  in  this 
department.  And  I  held  myself  in  duty  bound,  now,  in 
the  preparation  of  such  a  selection,  not  to  confine  myself 
to  what  had  heretofore  been  used,  but  to  offer  our  eager 
young  singers  new  treasures,  overlooked  for  centuries, 
which,  I  was  convinced,  would  win  their  hearts  more 
and  more,  and  would  develop  and  cultivate  a  refined  taste 
in  church  music  and  spiritual  Folk-song.  .  .  .  What 
precious  hours  did  I  spend  with  my  friend  Mr.  Endlich, 
the  musical  editor  of  the  book,  in  re-setting  these  old 
jewels  of  our  Church !  How  often  did  we  sing  and  play 
these  captivating  melodies  together,  over  and  over,  late 
into  the  night,  in  bed  even!"  (Erinnerungen.)  In 
1875  tne  Sonntagschulbuch  was  finished.  In  order  to 
familiarize  our  people  with  it,  Dr.  Spaeth  held  a  lecture 
in  St.  Johannis,  in  which,  after  a  historical  introduction, 
a  number  of  the  hymns  were  sung  in  four  parts  by  the 
choir,  or  in  two  and  three  parts  by  the  school  children.* 
August  3,  1875.  "I  may  say  that  the  Sonntagschul- 
buch is  essentially  my  work.  .  .  .  For  the  last  two 
years  I  have  devoted  every  free  moment  by  day  and 

*  See  Chapter  X.,  under  Lectures. 


174  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

night,  to  this  little  book,  gathering  and  studying  as 
probably  has  never  before  been  done  for  a  collection  of 
this  kind. — See  how  I  am  on  the  way  to  indiscrete  self- 
glorification !  But  surely  I  may  tell  you  between  our- 
selves, what  I  have  been  working  on,  and  what  fills  my 
heart  with  joy  and  pride  and  satisfaction.  I  know  of 
course,  that  our  book  will  not  appeal  to  the  average 
taste  of  our  Sunday  schools  here.  Also  the  musical  ar- 
rangement, by  my  dear  friend  Mr.  Endlich  will  strike 
many  as  having  too  high  a  standard  for — a  Sunday 
school  Book!"    (A.  S.  to  Hole.) 

May  27,  1878.  "The  Kirchenbuch  is  practically  fin- 
ished since  last  fall Now  I  am  busy  as  co- 
laborer  on  a  Choralbuch  which  my  friend  John  Endlich 
is  preparing  for  the  Kirchenbuch.  So  I  still  have  my 
hands  full.  Really,  no  one  knows,  how,  in  this  country, 
one  is  shoved  into  the  work!  He  takes  a  little  bag,  and 
it  becomes  a  sack.  He  carries  the  sack,  and  soon  a  dozen 
are  heaped  on  him.  I  have  sometimes  bitterly  reproached 
myself  that  I  have  never  learned  to  say  'No !'  .  .  .  I 
often  think  how  ludicrous,  to  a  substantial  German  pastor 
and  professor,  our  determination  must  appear,  to  dabble 
in  everything,  in  our  own  clumsy  way!  And  yet,  we 
bunglers — do  things!  Of  our  'Missionsbote'  which  we 
began  publishing  in  January,  we  now  print  8,000  copies ; 
my  'Jugendfreund'  about  24,000.  Since  last  fall  about 
18,000  copies  of  our  new  Kirchenbuch  have  been  sold; 
of  the  Sonntagschulbuch  about  17,000.  I  am  becoming 
a  real  American  with  my  figures,  gelt  ?  *  But  you  are 
interested  in  these  things.  I  do  not  boast  of  them, — 
you  know  as  well  as  any  one  how  shy  I  am ! — but  only 
give  you  for  once,  a  glimpse  of  the  extent  of  the  work 
in  these  external  matters."     (A.  S.  to  Hole.) 

*  A  useful  little  interjection,  only  to  be  translated  by  some 
such  stiff  and  ponderous  phrase  as,  Is  it  not  so? 


PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS  175 

FRIENDS  IN  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

Dr.  Sigmund  Fritschel 

"My  attendance  at  the  meetings  of  the  General 
Council ;  my  participation  in  its  labors  and  conflicts ;  my 
acquaintance  and  intercourse  with  so  many  eminent  men 
from  all  parts  of  the  Church — became  in  the  course  of 
years,  a  real  high-school  for  the  growth  and  ripening  in 
me  of  sound  theological  and  churchly  principles,  and 
for  the  establishing  of  my  personal  standing  as  a  Chris- 
tian; so  that  in  looking  back  over  these  long  years  I 
cannot  be  thankful  enough  to  my  Lord  for  this.  With 
many  brethren  in  the  West,  particularly  from  the  Iowa 
and  Augustana  Synods,  I  was  brought  into  specially  in- 
timate relations.  With  Dr.  Sigmund  Fritschel  I  formed 
a  fast  friendship  which  became  the  source  of  richest 
blessing  to  me.  I  first  made  his  acquaintance  at 
the  Convention  in  Pittsburgh  (1868)  where  he  appeared 
as  delegate  from  the  Iowa  Synod.  His  rich  theological 
attainments,  combined  with  true  humility  and  modesty, 
the  boundless  self-denial  in  which  he  served  his  Church ; 
his  firm  confessional  position,  and,  above  all,  his  fer- 
vent love  for  his  Saviour,  made  the  deepest  impression 
on  me.  .  .  .  What  delightful  hours  did  we  spend 
together,  often  as  guests  under  the  same  hospitable  roof. 
One  particularly  vivid  remembrance  is  of  a  Sunday 
evening,  during  the  Chicago  Convention  (1869)  when 
we,  with  Dr.  C.  W.  Schaeffer  and  a  number  of  Iowa 
pastors,  were  entertained  at  supper  by  a  family  in  the 
congregation.  .  .  .  There  I  first  heard  two  chorale 
melodies  which  won  my  heart,  and  have  become  favorites 
in  my  congregation:  'Jerusalem,  du  hochgebaute  Stadt' 
and  'Wie  wohl  ist  mir,  o  Freund  der  Seelen.'  I  also 
became  acquainted  then  with  the  song  of  Gerhard  von 
Zezschwitz,   Teh   habe  mich   oft   schon   zersonnen,   ob 


176  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

Weinen  wohl  und  Wein  zusammen  aus  Einem  Bronnen 
auf  Erden  entsprungen  sein'  which  we  sang  to  the 
melody  'Ich  weiss  nicht  was  soil  es  bedeuten.'  Old 
Dr.  Schaeffer  was  so  carried  away  with  it  that  he  at- 
tempted the  almost  impossible  feat  of  translating  it  into 
English,  though  necessarily  the  delicate  play  of  words 
in  the  German  'Weinen  und  Wein'  was  lost. 

"In  the  course  of  years  I  repeatedly  had  the  pleasure 
of  having  Dr.  Fritschel  as  guest  in  my  house,  and  of 
hearing  him  preach  in  St.  Johannis ;  I  also  visited  him  in 
Mendota  and  Dubuque,  where  we  discussed  the  great 
questions  which  at  that  time  agitated  our  church  life, 
especially  in  the  General  Council.  One  such  visit  is 
prominent  in  my  recollection,  when  Dr.  Krauth  and  I 
were  over  night  in  Mendota  together,  on  the  trip  back 
from  Galesburg  (1875).  It  was  like  a  greeting  from 
my  far  away  home  when,  as  we  were  deep  in  conversa- 
tion, the  bell  sounded  for  evening  prayer.  Everyone 
was  at  once  silent  and  stood  up,  while  the  house-father 
folded  his  hands,  and  recited  in  childlike  devotion,  the 
well  known  prayer  'Ach  bleib  bei  uns  Herr  Jesu  Christ, 
weil  es  nun  Abend  worden  ist.'  ....  Nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century  later,  returning  from  Omaha,  where 
we  had  held  a  meeting  of  the  General  Conference  of 
Deaconess  Houses,  I  visited  the  beloved  friend  in  Du- 
buque. It  was  our  last  meeting  on  earth.  The  hand 
of  Death  was  already  heavy  upon  him.  .  .  In  the 
following  year,  April  26,  1900,  after  weeks  of  suffering 
borne  with  exemplary  patience,  he  entered  into  the  joy 
of  his  Lord." 

The  Szvedish  Brethren 

"I  have  always  regarded  it  as  an  important  factor  in 
my  personal  development  and  in  the  widening  of  my 
churchly  horizon,  that  I  enjoyed  the  acquaintance,  and 
in  some  cases  the  intimate   friendship,  of  the  leading 


DR.  HASSELQUIST— PASTOR  CARLSON  177 

men  in  the  Swedish  Lutheran  Church  in  America.  Fore- 
most among  them  was  the  venerable  Father,  Dr.  Hassel- 
quist,  who  was  for  years  at  the  head  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  the  Augustana  Synod,  and  who,  in  his 
sound,  sober  Lutheran  conservatism  was  not  surpassed 
by  any  of  his  countrymen.  He  was  a  great  lover  of 
music,  a  good  singer  even  in  his  old  age,  and  endowed 
with  a  fine  tenor  voice.  Perhaps  his  love  for  church 
music  drew  him  specially  to  the  young  German  with 
such  similar  tastes,  whom  he  met  for  the  first  time  in 
Pittsburgh,  1868.*  Many  a  time  he  sent  me  beautiful, 
churchly  compositions  by  Swedish  musicians,  some  of 
which  I  now  and  then  used  for  my  choir  in  St.  Johannis. 
In  1888  I  was  his  guest  in  Rock  Island,  where  he  had 
invited  me  to  make  an  address  on  Missions  to  the  stu- 
dents. Very  close  to  him  in  my  remembrance,  comes 
Father  Erland  Carlson,  pastor  of  the  largest  Swedish 
congregation  in  Chicago.  ...  In  1869  he  had  in- 
vited the  General  Council  to  Chicago,  just  as  the  new 
church  was  ready  for  consecration.  A  few  months 
later  the  great  fire  destroyed  this  stately  building  as  well 
as  the  old  wooden  church,  leaving  the  congregation  two 
heaps  of  ashes  and  an  enormous  debt.  .  .  .  Pastor 
Carlson  visited  Philadelphia  to  ask  aid  for  his  sorely 
afflicted  congregation.  After  a  Sunday  morning  service 
he  made  his  appeal  for  the  Swedish  brethren  in  the  faith, 
to  our  German  St.  Johannis.  He  could  not  speak 
German.  We  could  not  understand  Swedish.  He  was 
forced  to  use  English,  which  he  spoke  very  brokenly, 
but  the  seriousness  of  the  case  gave  him  eloquence,  and 
his  deep  emotion,  his  unrestrained  tears,  made  him  in- 

*  In  1869,  at  the  convention  in  Chicago,  Professor  Hasselquist 
and  Dr.  Spaeth  with  the  English  Church  Book  Committee  were 
appointed  to  select  music  for  the  recently  published  Church  Book. 
Two  years  later  this  Committee  recommended  the  Church  Book 
with  Music,  which  was  published  in  1872. 


178  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

telligible  to  everyone,  and  the  congregation  responded 
with  a  collection  of  more  than  $260. 

"At  the  beautiful  festival  in  Rock  Island  in  1893 
we  were  room-mates  as  guests  in  Dr.  Olson's  house.  Dr. 
Olson  was  Dr.  Hasselquist's  successor  in  the  Seminary 
at  Rock  Island,  but  was  an  entirely  different  personality, 
not  only  in  his  natural  gifts  and  characteristics,  but  also 
in  his  religious  and  theological  position.  A  man  of 
irresistible  charm,  and  universally  popular,  he  well 
represented  the  emotional,  impulsive  temperament  of 
the  Swedes,  who  have  often  been  called  the  Frenchmen 
of  the  North.  Endowed  with  a  wonderful  gift  as 
orator,  he  could  carry  with  him  the  thousands  of  his 
audience,  laughing  or  crying  at  his  will.  But  at  the  same 
time  he  was  not  entirely  free  from  a  leaning  to  fanati- 
cism. .  .  .  Once,  after  a  somewhat  excited  speech 
at  the  General  Council,  he  said  to  me  as  he  left  the 
pulpit:  'I  know  that  my  dear  Brother  Spaeth  considers 
me  an  ecclesiastical  anarchist!'  'No,'  said  I,  'not  that; 
but  I  honestly  think  that  it  would  be  well  if  my  good 
Brother  Olson  laid  rather  more  stress  on  the  divinely 
appointed  means  of  grace,  the  Word  and  the  Sacra- 
ments.' " 

Bishop  von  Scheele 

"Of  all  the  Swedish  friends,  however,  none  came  quite 
so  close  as  Bishop  von  Scheele.  My  cordial  relations 
with  him  have  been  one  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  my 
old  days.  I  met  him  again  and  again  when  he  visited 
America,  he  was  twice  a  guest  under  my  roof,  and  at  the 
meeting  of  the  International  Lutheran  Conference  in 
Rostock  we  spent  delightful  hours  with  each  other." 
After  the  General  Council  in  Lima,  Ohio,  in  1901,  Dr. 
Spaeth  writes:  "A  specially  notable  feature  was  the 
appearance  of  my  dear  friend  Bishop  von  Scheele  of 
Sweden.     He  had  been  in  America  eight  years  ago,  and 


BISHOP  von  SCHEELE  179 

takes  the  warmest  interest  in  our  whole  Lutheran  Church 
here,  not  alone  in  the  Swedish  branch.  During  his  visit 
in  Philadelphia  he  was  again  our  guest,*  and  we  came 
to  an  agreement  that  we  would  make  the  attempt  to 
bring  to  Philadelphia  one  of  the  next  conventions  of 
the  General  Lutheran  Conference,  if  possible  that  of  the 
year  1907.  He  is  to  work  for  it  on  the  other  side  of 
the  ocean,  and  I  on  this.  That  is  still  far  off,  and  who 
knows  where  we  shall  both  be,  when  the  time  comes. 
But  since  1887,  when  I  attended  the  Conference  in 
Hamburg,  and  discussed  the  same  point  with  Luthardt, 
I  have  cherished  a  secret  hope  of  getting  the  Lutherans 
of  the  old  world,  in  their  prominent  representatives,  to 
come  over  to  us  once,  and  so  to  bring  them  into  living 
contact  with  our  position  and  our  work.  Bishop  von 
Scheele,  whose  name  is  also  well  known  in  the  German 
theological  world,  especially  through  his  'Symbolik'  is 
just  made  for  the  pioneer's  work  in  such  an  international 
convention.  He  is  an  unusually  magnetic  personality, 
with  wide  outlook  and  a  warm  heart,  while  his  diplomatic 
cleverness  and  aristocratic  distinction  are  glorified  and 
sanctified  by  an  inner,  vital  Christianity.  Thanks  to 
his  efforts  especially,  King  Oscar,  his  intimate  friend, 
invited  the  Conference  last  year  to  Lund,  and  so  brought 
it  for  the  first  time  over  the  narrow  borders  of  its 
German  home.  We  both,  however,  look  upon  Lund  as 
a  station  on  the  way  to  Philadelphia."  (A.  S.  to  E.  W.) 

*  In  Mt.  Airy,  where  a  reception  to  Bishop  and  Lady  von  Scheele 
had  been  arranged  by  the  Lutheran  Social  Union.  The  distin- 
guished guests  were  greeted  with  great  enthusiasm,  and  showed  a 
warm  appreciation  of  the  courtesy  extended  to  them.  In  the  morn- 
ing Dr.  Spaeth  had  met  them  on  their  arrival  in  Philadelphia,  and 
taken  them  to  Old  Swedes'  Church  and  Independence  Hall.  Later 
they  lunched  at  Dr.  Laird's  house.  Next  morning  Dr.  Spaeth 
accompanied  them  to  New  York,  and  so  secured  two  hours  of  quiet 
conversation  with  the  Bishop,  which  were  devoted  to  the  Allgemeine 
Konferenz. 


180  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

At  Rostock  they  met  for  the  last  time.  Here  the 
friends  seem  to  have  still  cherished  the  hope  of  an  Allge- 
meine  Konferenz  in  Philadelphia,  but  a  few  years  later 
Dr.  Spaeth  writes  in  the  Erinnerungen :  "With  my 
friend  Bishop  von  Scheele  I  had  endeavored  for  some 
years  to  encourage  the  international  tendency  in  the 
General  Conference,  in  order,  if  possible,  to  secure  a 
meeting  in  America,  where  a  strong  committee  had 
been  formed  for  the  furtherance  of  this  project,  and 
considerable  sums  had  already  been  subscribed  toward 
the  same  end.  But  the  lamentable  dissensions  which 
had  recently  broken  out  within  the  Conference,  i.  e., 
among  its  German  members,  had  made  it  impossible  to 
carry  out  the  plan.  .  .  .  For  my  own  part,  I  have 
given  up  this  noble  aim ;  and  yet  it  seems  to  me  so  neces- 
sary and  important  that  those  who  mean  faithfully  and 
honestly  by  our  Lutheran  Confession,  in  the  old  and 
new  world,  should  remain  in  living  contact  with  one 
another,  and  should  work  together  in  real  harmony.     .     . 

.  .  Perhaps  a  later  generation  may  live  to  see  an 
international  assembly  of  confessional  Lutherans  on 
American  soil  .  .  .  and  may  yet  harvest  the  fruit 
from  seed  sown  by  us,  in  this  field." 

Dr.  Mann 

Among  his  associates  in  the  Ministerium  of  Pennsyl- 
vania as  well  as  in  that  of  New  York,  it  is  scarcely 
possible  even  to  mention  all  whom  Dr.  Spaeth  counted 
as  personal  friends.  Here  and  there  names  stand  out, 
of  those  with  whom  he  labored,  and  whose  sympathy 
and  approval  he  particularly  valued.  Many  of  these 
names  are  given  in  connection  with  the  details  of  his 
varied  activities.  Naturally  the  name  of  Dr.  William 
Julius  Mann  is  most  prominent  among  them.  Pastor 
Spaeth  began  his  work  in  America  under  the  guidance 


DR.  MANN  AND  THE  KIRCHENBUCH  181 

of  his  senior  in  Zion's;  they  were  colleagues  for  many 
years  in  the  Seminary;  they  worked  together  in  Synod 
and  Council,  and  suffered  together  the  slings  and  arrows 
of  outrageous  demagogues.  While  they  held  similar 
views  in  many  respects  they  were  not,  by  any  means, 
always  of  one  mind;  but  they  faced  the  situation  and 
remained  friends. 

Dr.  Spaeth's  work  "Erinnerungsblaetter,"  a  Memorial 
to  Dr.  Mann  in  his  own  words,  with  here  and  there  a 
few  sentences  of  necessary  explanation  or  comment, 
gives  in  detail  the  story  of  Dr.  Mann's  opposition  to 
the  Kirchenbuch,  and  his  official  recommendation  of 
Wollenweber,  which  threatened  for  a  time  to  alienate 
them.  Dr.  Mann  admitted  the  value  of  the  new  Hymnal 
as  an  "excellent  anthology  of  spiritual  songs."  Dr. 
Spaeth  thought  that  Dr.  Mann's  modern  tendency  ren- 
dered him  unable  to  grasp  the  idea,  that  worshipers  in 
our  time  can  find  in  the  forms  of  the  sixteenth  century 
and  the  pre-Re formation  era,  fit  expression  for  their  de- 
votions. "Painful  as  it  was  for  the  friends  that  on 
this  point  their  views  differed,  there  were  yet  times 
when  the  enthusiastic  champion  of  the  Old  had  the 
satisfaction  of  hearing  from  Dr.  Mann's  lips  the  warm- 
est testimony  for  that  which  seemed  to  him  most  fitting 
and  beautiful  in  the  service  of  the  sanctuary.  None  of 
us  will  ever  forget  his  resolutions  at  the  meeting  of  the 
General  Council  in  Philadelphia  in  1885,  in  which  he 
so  highly  commended  the  Choral-Vesper  which  had 
been  arranged  by  his  friend.*     And  how  often,  in  St. 

*  These  resolutions  were,  in  part:  Resolved,  1.  That  in  the 
Choral  Service  to  which  this  body  was  invited  last  evening,  we 
realized  the  beauty  of  ancient  and  especially  Lutheran  Church 
Music,  and  acknowledged  it  as  a  convincing  proof  that  in  this 
direction  also,  the  Lutheran  Church  needs  not  to  go  out  of  the 
galaxy  of  ancient  talent  granted  her,  and  the  musical  treasures 
entrusted  to  her,  for  the  edification  of  her  congregations  and 
families. 


182  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

Johannis  church,  where  the  ancient  liturgical  forms,  and 
the  old  melodies  were  used  in  their  entirety,  especially 
for  festival  services,  did  he  press  the  hand  of  his  friend 
saying  with  deep  emotion:  That  was  a  glorious 
Service!'  ....  His  final  verdict  on  the  Kirchen- 
buch  is  found  in  his  Biography  of  the  Patriarch  Mueh- 
lenberg,  when  he  comes  to  speak  of  Muehlenberg's 
hymnological  work,  especially  of  his  Hymnbook  of 
1786.  There  he  says  in  plain  terms:  'Muehlenberg 
was  too  conservative  a  Churchman  to  deprive  Lutherans 
of  hymns  to  which  tradition  and  habit  had  attached 
them,  and  which  strenuously  echoed  the  Lutheran  faith. 
In  this  respect  this  hymnbook,  the  largest  part  of  which 
Muehlenberg  compiled,  and  which  was  published  by 
Synod  in  1 786,  is  much  superior  to  the  one  edited  under 
synodical  authority  in  1849,*  Dut  does  not  attain  to  the 
merits  of  the  Kirchenbuch  edited  by  the  General  Council 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  America,  and  representing 
the  highest  standard  of  liturgical  and  hymnological 
theory.'  " 
1  Dr.   C.   W .  Schaeffer 

In  August,  1864,  very  soon  after  Pastor  Spaeth's 
arrival,  Dr.  Mann  had  taken  him  out  to  Germantown 
and  introduced  him  to  Dr.  C.  W.  Schaeffer.  "The 
friendly  reception  given  me  by  this  eminent  man,  a  true 
Christian  gentleman  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word,  the 
comfortable  study  of  the  American  Doctor  in  which 
even  the  familiar  whiff  of  tobacco  was  not  lacking,  gave 
me  at  once  a  delightful  feeling  of  being  quite  at  home. 

2.  That  our  thanks  are  therefore  sincerely  offered  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  this  body,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  Spaeth,  for  his  unceasing  and  de- 
servedly successful  efforts  to  give  us  a  Choral  Service,  no  less 
full  of  instruction  and  encouragement  than  of  sacred  emotion 
and  holy  pleasure. 

*  Wollenweber.  , 


DR.  SCHAEFFER'S  MESSAGE  183 

For  more  than  thirty  years  I  was  permitted  to  enjoy 
his  cordial  friendship.  Many  a  time  did  he  assist  me 
at  the  communion  in  St.  Johannis,  and  afterwards  take 
his  place  at  my  table.  In  1873  we  were  installed 
together  in  Zion's  as  Professors  in  the  Seminary,  and 
for  twenty-three  years  worked  together  in  undisturbed 
harmony,  until  his  death  in  1896."  A  few  months  be- 
fore his  death  the  writer  was  present  when  Dr.  Schaeffer 
committed  to  Dr.  Spaeth  an  earnest  message  of  greeting 
and  encouragement  for  the  Fathers  and  Brethren  of 
Synod,  to  be  delivered  at  the  great  Jubilee  meeting  in 
191 7.    "I  shall  not  be  there, — but  you  may  be." 

ANNIVERSARIES  OF  THE  GENERAL  COUNCIL 

In  1893  the  General  Council  met  in  Trinity  church, 
Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  On  Monday  evening,  October  9th, 
special  services  were  held  in  commemoration  of  the 
organization  of  the  Council  in  the  same  church  twenty- 
six  years  before.  There  was  a  large  congregation.  Five 
addresses  were  made.  Dr.  Spaeth's  theme  was:  The 
Influence  of  the  General  Council  on  the  Lutheran 
Church.  On  the  same  evening  he  wrote:  "Our  impro- 
vised Jubilee  was  a  great  success.  Everyone  agreed  that 
all  the  five  addresses  were  good,  and  the  audience  was 
evidently  deeply  interested  and  moved  by  the  whole 
service.  I  had  the  closing  address,  and  took  my  text 
from  your  father's  last  words  to  the  Council:  'The 
General  Council  has  borne  rich  fruit  for  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  future  of  our  Church.'  "  (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.) 

In  the  President's  Report,  in  1905,  allusion  was  made 
to  the  rapidity  with  which  the  list  of  Founders  of  the 
General  Council  was  being  depleted.  Of  the  five  men 
who  issued  the  Call  in  1866,  Dr.  Krotel  alone  survived.* 

*Dr.  Krotel  died  early  in  1907. 


184  SYNOD  AND  COUNCIL 

Of  the  Pennsylvania  delegation  to  the  convention  he  and 
Dr.  Laird;  of  Ohio,  Rev.  G.  W.  Mechling,  and  of 
Pittsburgh,  Rev.  H.  W.  Roth  survived,  and  of  the 
second  convention  in  1868  Dr.  J.  Fry  and  Dr.  Spaeth 
alone  were  left.  The  proposition  was  made  to  celebrate 
the  fortieth  anniversary  while  a  few  of  these  venerable 
Fathers  could  still  be  present,  instead  of  waiting  until 
the  half  century  was  completed.  A  Committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  prepare  a  plan  for  the  proper  celebration  of 
this  anniversary  at  the  next  convention.  In  1907,  at 
Buffalo,  the  Committee  reported  with  a  program  for 
two  evenings,  Retrospect  and  Prospect.  On  Thursday 
Dr.  Laird  was  the  first  speaker:  Early  Conventions  of 
the  General  Council  and  the  Fathers.  Rev.  G.  W. 
Mechlin:  The  Hand  of  Providence  in  the  Formation 
of  the  General  Council.  Friday  evening,  Rev.  H.  W. 
Roth,  D.D. :  The  General  Council  in  Works  of  Missions 
and  Mercy.  Dr.  Spaeth:  The  General  Council  and 
Lutheran  Doctrine.  Other  addresses  were  made  on 
both  evenings  by  younger  men.  On  the  following 
Sunday  a  German  celebration  was  held  in  St.  John's 
church,  at  which  Dr.  Spaeth  spoke  on  the  Purpose  of 
the  General  Council. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 
1883-1888   (1908) 

Es  gehoert  zum  Dienst  dass  wir  hie  und  da  erlauben 
muessen  dass  Jemand  seine  Schuhe  an  uns  abpatze. 
(A.  S.  to  Hole.) 

"In  the  many  years  of  my  life  in  America,  nothing 
has  caused  me  so  much  unhappiness  as  the  development 
of  the  German  Mission  work,  and,  in  close  connection 
with  it,  the  question  of  training  German  pastors  for  our 
German  congregations  in  America.  The  conflict  which 
grew  out  of  this  question  fell  mostly  in  those  years  in 
the  last  century,  during  which  I  was  President  of  the 
General  Council,  1880  to  1888.  In  giving  this  subject 
a  place  in  my  Reminiscences,  I  have  no  desire  to  tear 
open  old  wounds,  or  to  dig  up  the  buried  hatchet,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  to  pave  the  way  for  a  real  and  perma- 
nent understanding  for  which  at  last  the  time  seems 
to  have  come."  This  was  written  in  1908,  just  before 
the  meeting  of  a  General  Conference  of  German  pastors 
in  the  General  Council,  which  would  have  to  deal  with 
questions  concerning  Kropp.  Dr.  Spaeth  considered  it 
most  necessary  to  this  end,  that  all  the  facts  should  be 
brought  together  now,  simply  and  objectively,  leaving 
out,  as  far  as  possible,  purely  personal  features. 

THE  HOME   MISSION   WORK 

"In  the  call  for  the  Convention  in  Reading  (1866) 
which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  General  Council, 
attention  was  drawn  to  the  conditions  which  our  Church 
185 


186  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

faces  in  this  country;  millions  of  souls  which  belong 
to  us,  spread  over  an  ever  increasing  territory;  the  con- 
tinual growth  of  immigration,  the  pressing  need  of 
pastors,  the  meagre  provision  made  for  this  crying 
need,  etc.  The  General  Council,  in  the  first  Article  of 
its  Constitution  recognizes  the  necessity  of  foreign  and 
home  mission  work.* 

"At  the  second  convention  in  Pittsburgh,  1868,  a 
Committee  appointed  the  year  before,  brought  in  a  de- 
tailed report  on  Home  Missions,  and  a  comprehensive 
plan  for  carrying  on  the  work,  which  would  need  at 
least  $10,000  in  the  coming  year.  Neither  then  nor  later 
did  the  Committee  succeed  in  getting  together  more 
than  a  small  fraction  of  this  sum;  at  the  same  time  its 
activity  was  almost  confined  to  the  English  field,  where 
considerable  sums  were  expended  in  efforts  to  found 
English  missions  in  large  cities  like  Chicago,  while  the 
great  German  mission  field,  where  half  the  sum  would 
have  had  appreciable  results,  was  permitted  to  lie  fallow. 
It  is  not  surprising  that  this  condition  of  things  was 
very  unsatisfactory  to  the  Germans  in  the  General 
Council.  So  it  went  on  until  the  year  1881,  when,  at 
last,  in  the  meeting  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  the  proposition 
came  from  the  Home  Mission  Committee  itself  to  divide 
the  whole  work  according  to  language,  and  to  carry  it 
on  in  future  by  separate  committees,  English,  Swedish 
and  German. 

"The  German  Mission  Committee  which  now  came 
into  existence  for  the  first  time,  was  authorized  to  take 
into  consideration  whether  an  alliance  with  some  educa- 
tional institution  in  Europe,  or  the  founding  of  a  new 

*  In  the  Erinnerungen  the  Article  is  cited.  The  editor  has 
abridged  this  account  of  the  Kropp  trouble  here  and  there,  but 
it  is  essentially  a  quotation,  and  is  therefore  given  as  such.  The 
original  can  be  found  in  the  Kirchenbote,  August  and  September, 
1908,  Nos.  =0-53  of  the  Erinnerungen. 


WORK  AMONG  LUTHERAN    IMMIGRANTS  187 

institution  in  this  country,  or  even  a  distinct  department 
in  some  already  existing  school  here,  seemed  necessary 
and  desirable  to  meet  the  special  needs  of  the  Church  in 
this  sphere.  No  one  can  doubt  for  a  moment  that  the 
new  departure  was  an  important  step  in  the  right  direc- 
tion. The  first  year  that  the  plan  was  in  operation  the 
German  and  English  Committees  brought  together 
$10,000,  and  the  Swedes  another  $8,000. 

"It  is  obvious  that  the  Home  Mission  work  of  the 
General  Council  is  founded  on  work  among  the  immi- 
grants from  Lutheran  countries.  Without  this  the 
English  work  would  have  no  foothold.  Neglect  of  these 
immigrants  cannot  be  made  good  in  the  generations  born 
here.  But  in  order  to  labor  successfully  among  immi- 
grants, we  must  have  men  who  not  only  speak  their 
language  correctly  and  fluently,  but  who  know  their 
whole  spirit,  their  nature,  their  customs,  their  views, 
and  can  have  a  fellow-feeling  with  them.  Such  laborers 
must  be  trained  for  their  respective  fields. 

"From  the  beginning,  as  we  have  seen,  the  attention 
of  the  German  Mission  Committee  had  been  called  to 
the  preparation  of  German  candidates  for  the  ministry, 
as  inseparable  from  their  work.  The  Committee  under- 
took the  task  with  great  enthusiasm,  and  developed  a 
zeal  and  an  energy  deserving  highest  recognition.  The 
monthly  Siloah  was  founded.  A  Call  to  the  Church  in 
Germany  was  sent  out,  which  awakened  a  general  in- 
terest for  the  Germans  in  America,  and  was  reprinted 
in  the  Christenbote  and  the  Stuttgart  Sonntagsblatt. 
But  then  appeared  the  'Amerikanische  Reisebilder'  of 
the  Wuerttemberg  Professor  Dr.  J.  G.  Pfleiderer,  warn- 
ing the  moderate  Lutheran  Christians  of  Wuerttemberg 
against  this  appeal,  and  reproaching  the  'rich  Americans' 
of  the  General  Council  and  of  the  Pennsylvania  Synod, 
who  'ought  to  be  ashamed  of  themselves'  to  go  a-begging 


188  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

in  Germany  for  the  support  of  German  Lutheran  Mis- 
sions in  America! 

"Through  its  Secretary  the  German  Home  Mission 
Committee  of  the  General  Council  turned  then  to  me 
with  the  request  to  take  up  my  pen  in  defence  of  our 
Church,  and  in  the  cause  of  truth.  I  did  so,  in  a  pamphlet 
which  appeared  in  1882,  'Amerikanische  Beleuchtung 
der  Amerikanischen  Reisebilder  des  Herrn  Professor 
Dr.  J.  G.  Pfleiderer.'  It  was  written  with  special  regard 
to  Wuerttemberg  readers,  and  was  scattered  all  over 
'Schwabenland'  by  the  committee  of  the  General  Council. 
In  it  I  said:  'Just  at  this  moment  it  can  be  less  than 
ever  a  matter  of  indifference  to  us,  what  they  think  of 
us  in  the  old  Fatherland,  and  what  sort  of  picture  of 
the  American  Lutheran  Church  is  placed  before  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Stuttgart  Prediger  Conferenz,  by  a  so-called 
eye-witness,  and  afterwards  printed  and  spread  abroad 
throughout  Christian  Germany.  Just  now  the  relations 
between  us  and  the  old  home  are  stronger  and  closer 
than  ever.  On  both  sides  we  begin  to  realize  the  great- 
ness of  the  task  which  God  has  set  us  to  do,  in  that  He 
is  directing  an  ever  growing  stream  of  tens  of  thousands 
of  our  fellow-believers  to  the  shores  of  this  new  world. 
On  both  sides  hundreds  of  noble  pious  hearts  are  warm- 
ing toward  this  vast  work.  And  already,  everywhere, 
faithful  diligent  hands  are  reaching  out  to  take  hold 
of  it,  and,  across  the  wide  ocean,  to  labor  together  in 
one  spirit  and  one  love.' 

"The  first  annual  report,  presented  by  the  German 
Home  Mission  Committee  to  the  General  Council  in 
Lancaster,  Ohio,  in  1882,  showed  from  beginning  to 
end  how  systematically  and  energetically  the  committee 
had  gone  to  work,  and  the  very  considerable  success 
which  had  attended  their  efforts.  An  interest  had  been 
awakened  and  maintained  in  the  congregations  by  the 
publication  of  the  Siloah,  which,  within  the  first  year, 


PASTOR  PAULSEN  VISITS  PHILADELPHIA         189 

had  more  than  7,000  subscribers.  Candidates  for  the 
ministry  had  been  received  from  various  points  in 
Germany,  from  Pastor  Jensen's  institution,  as  well  as 
from  Hermannsburg  and  Neusalz.  Sixteen  young  men 
were  under  the  oversight  of  the  Committee,  and  had 
been  placed  in  various  institutions  or  with  pastors  to 
finish  their  theological  training.  Pastor  Jensen  crossed 
the  ocean  in  order  to  come  to  an  understanding  with  us 
over  this  important  matter.  He  was  my  guest,  in  my 
house  and  in  the  pulpit  of  my  St.  Johannis  church,  and 
was  an  agreeable  and  deeply  religious  man,  but  with  a 
strong  leaning  to  Pietism. 

"Not  long  after  Pastor  Jensen's  visit,  Pastor  Paulsen 
from  Kropp  also  came  to  Philadelphia  for  the  first 
time.  He  too  was  my  guest,  and  I  was  convinced  by 
what  I  saw  and  heard,  that  with  him  the  preparation 
of  young  theologians  for  the  service  of  the  American 
Church  of  the  General  Council,  would  be  in  better  hands 
than  with  Jensen.  I  had  no  hesitation  in  recommending 
him  and  the  institution  he  had  founded  in  Kropp.  The 
special  committee  to  which  the  report  concerning  the 
German  Home  Mission  work  had  been  referred,  recom- 
mended to  the  Council,  after  careful  deliberation,  the 
institution  of  Pastor  Johannes  Paulsen  in  Kropp, 
Schleswig,  as  above  all  others  the  best  adapted  to  our 
needs.  They  further  advised  the  Council  to  desist  for 
the  present  from  erecting  a  new  pro-seminary,  for  which 
we  had  not  the  means,  or  from  any  attempt  to  arrange 
for  a  special  department  in  an  existing  institution.  All 
of  which,  after  mature  deliberation  and  discussion  was 
unanimously  adopted.  It  was  still  further  resolved,  on 
motion  of  Dr.  Passavant,  that  the  Home  Mission  Com- 
mittee during  the  coming  year  should  weigh  the  ques- 
tion whether  the  special  need  of  the  Church  demanded 
the  erection  of  a  new  institution  in  our  land,  or  the 


190  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

establishment  of  a  special  department  in  an  existing  in- 
stitution." 

KROPP  AND  THE  GENERAL  COUNCIL 

"In  the  following  year,  1883,  the  Committee  reported 
that  the  proposed  arrangement  with  Pastor  Paulsen  had 
been  made.  In  March,  1882,  a  Seminary  had  been 
opened  in  which  young  pastors  were  to  be  trained  for 
America.  The  course  of  instruction  included  the  usual 
branches  of  theology.  Pastor  Paulsen  wrote  that  owing 
to  lack  of  room  and  of  means  they  could  receive  only 
a  few  pupils.  'We  rejoice  greatly  over  the  connection 
with  the  esteemed  brethren  of  the  General  Council     .     . 

.  .  with  whom,  as  far  as  doctrine  is  concerned,  we 
stand  on  the  same  ground.  .  .  .  May  it  please  God 
so  to  bless  our  alliance  that  His  Church  and  His  king- 
dom may  be  benefitted  by  it.'  In  the  same  year,  1883, 
by  the  efforts  of  Pastor  A.  Richter,  a  preparatory  insti- 
tution was  begun,  Wagner  College,  which  the  Committee 
rather  welcomed  than  disapproved.  It  was  intended  to 
be  a  pro-seminary  in  which  pious  and  gifted  young  men 
from  our  congregations  would  have  opportunity  to 
prepare  for  the  service  of  the  Lord,  and  to  preach 
Christ  in  German  and  English.  Six  years  later  Wagner 
College  was  taken  over  by  the  New  York  Ministerium. 

"From  1883  on,  'our  institution  in  Kropp'  appeared 
regularly  in  the  report  of  the  German  Home  Mission 
Committee,  and  the  entries  for  support  of  the  students 
and  for  salaries  of  the  professors  were  included  in  its 
treasurer's  account.  In  1885  Pastor  Paulsen  issued  a 
call  to  the  brethren  in  America  ...  in  which  he 
proposed  the  erection  of  a  new  seminary,  to  cost  $10,000. 
For  this  he  asked  help  from  America.  It  had  been 
found  impossible  to  keep  up  an  active  interest  among 
Germans  in  the  seminary,  in  addition  to  the  great  de- 


RESPONSIBILITY  OF  THE  COUNCIL  191 

mands  of  their  own  Foreign  and  Home  Missions.  More- 
over, it  was  thought  by  Christians  there  that  the 
Americans  were  able  to  provide  for  the  work  which,  in 
the  end,  was  for  their  benefit.  In  response  to  this  hint 
the  sum  of  about  $20,000  was  brought  together  in  the 
five  years  from  1882  to  1887  for  the  seminary  in  Kropp. 

"These  facts,  which  are  mostly  taken  from  the  official 
Minutes  of  the  General  Council,  show  indisputably  that 
the  German  Home  Mission  Committee,  with  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  General  Council,  and  by  its  direct  order, 
entered  into  connection  with  the  institution  of  Pastor 
Paulsen  in  Kropp.  It  had  also — which  seems  to  me  of 
special  importance — from  the  beginning  clearly  reported 
to  the  Council  the  character  of  that  institution,  namely, 
that  although  a  preparatory  school  was  connected  with 
it,  it  was  really  not  a  pro-seminary,  but  a  theological  in- 
stitution, in  which  all  branches  of  theology  were  taught, 
and  the  pupils  were  to  be  fully  prepared  for  the  minister- 
ial office.  Further,  we  must  take  into  consideration  that 
all  resolutions  passed  by  the  Committee  and  regularly 
reported  to  the  General  Council,  were  approved  by  it 
and  formally  adopted.  ...  If  mistakes  were  made 
it  was  the  General  Council  that  made  them;  and  that, 
when  better  informed,  was  obliged  to  remedy  them. 

"In  the  meeting  at  Greenville,  Pa.,  1887,  the  same 
year  in  which  I  was  sent  as  delegate  to  the  General 
Lutheran  Conference,  the  General  Council,  after  discus- 
sing the  report  of  the  Committee  on  its  relation  to  the 
institution  in  Kropp,  passed  resolutions  thanking  Pastor 
Paulsen  for  his  personal  devotion  and  his  great  sacrifice 
in  training  young  men  for  our  work.  In  consideration 
of  the  further  fact  that  so  far  no  agreement  had  been 
reached  between  him  and  us,  it  was  resolved  that  the 
Trustees  of  the  General  Council,  the  German  Home 
Mission  Committee  and  the  Professors  of  the  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  in   Philadelphia  be   empowered   to  treat 


192  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

with  Pastor  Paulsen  in  regard  to  the  relations  of  the 
General  Council  to  his  institutions  in  Kropp.  The  agree- 
ment reached  by  this  Committee  and  Pastor  Paulsen, 
should  go  into  operation  provisionally  for  the  current 
year,  subject  later  to  such  changes  as  the  General  Council, 
at  its  next  meeting,  might  see  fit  to  propose." 

KROPP  AND  PHILADELPHIA 

"Meanwhile,  in  January,  1887,  a  lively  correspondence 
had  been  carried  on  between  Pastor  Paulsen  and  the 
German  professors  of  the  Philadelphia  Seminary  as 
to  whether,  and  how,  it  would  be  possible  to  have  the 
pupils  of  the  Kropp  Seminary  spend  a  final  year  in 
Philadelphia,  and  so  receive  a  practical,  specific  training 
for  their  office  as  American  pastors.  Pastor  Paulsen 
seemed  to  approve  of  this  plan  entirely.  'If  our  pupils 
are  to  work  with  the  Philadelphians  there  must  be  no 
rivalry.  .  .  .  We  must  above  all  aim  at  a  firmer 
alliance,  that  we  may  hold  fast  and  attain  the  one  end, 
the  growth  of  the  General  Council.  ...  As  long 
as  I  have  anything  to  say,  Kropp  will  work  in  closest 
connection  with  Philadelphia,  and  subordinate  to  it. 
The  Seminary  in  Philadelphia  must  take  the  lead.' 

"When  the  result  of  this  correspondence  was  reported 
at  a  Faculty  meeting,  February  10,  1887,  Drs.  Mann 
and  Spaeth  were  appointed  a  committee  to  work  out  a 
plan  by  which  a  suitable  course  for  such  post-graduate 
students  could  be  arranged,  and  to  correspond  with 
Pastor  Paulsen  in  regard  to  it.  .  .  .  The  Faculty 
had  been  asked  by  Synod  to  consider  the  question  of 
extending  the  German  instruction  in  the  Seminary,  and 
to  recommend  to  the  Board  such  additions  to  the  teach- 
ing force  as  they  deemed  necessary.  After  carefully 
weighing  the  matter,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
German  was  already  increasingly  used  as  the  medium 


KROPP  STUDENTS  AND  PHILADELPHIA  193 

of  instruction,  with  good  results,  the  Faculty  reported 
to  the  Board  that  no  additional  teachers  were  needed.  . 
With  the  increase  of  German  students  the  Ger- 
man language  would  take  a  more  prominent  position. 
For  this  and  other  reasons,  the  Faculty  officially  recom- 
mended that  provision  be  made  by  which  the  students 
from  Kropp  should  spend  the  last  year  of  their  course 
in  Philadelphia.  Whereupon  the  Directors  of  the 
Seminary  recommended  to  the  Ministerium  of  Pennsyl- 
vania that  it  should  propose  to  the  General  Council  to 
take  steps  for  such  an  arrangement,  with  the  proviso 
that  it  should  have  the  consent  of  the  Seminary  Di- 
rectors, the  General  Council  and  the  Kropp  institution. 
The  Synod  of  Pennsylvania  agreed  to  this  proposition, 
and  appropriated  $1,000  annually  toward  the  support 
of  such  students  as  should  spend  the  last  year  of  their 
course  in  the  Philadelphia  Seminary. 

"So  far  all  was  harmonious.  The  threatening  clouds 
which  were  gathering  over  our  Church,  dispersed  before 
our  eyes,  and  we  had  every  hope  for  the  future.  This 
whole  plan  was  not  made  simply  with  regard  to  the 
Germans  in  the  Pennsylvania  Synod,  nor  merely  to 
strengthen  the  German  element  in  the  Philadelphia 
Seminary,  but  in  the  full  conviction,  in  which  our  oldest 
and  most  experienced  men  were  all  of  one  mind,  that 
some  such  measure  was  indispensably  necessary  to  pre- 
vent, in  time,  the  threatened  division  in  our  Church.  In 
the  last  few  years  we  had  experienced  that,  in  spite  of 
the  fine  training  received  there,  many  of  the  young 
pastors  from  Kropp  found  it  difficult  to  accommodate 
themselves  to  conditions  here ;  and  that  there  was  danger 
of  estrangement  and  dissension  between  them  and  other 
pastors  of  our  American  Church,  especially  those  trained 
in  the  Philadelphia  Seminary.  It  was  the  opinion  of 
many  intelligent  men,  pastors  and  laymen,  besides  the 
professors  in  the  Seminary,  that  one  finishing  year  with 


194  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

us  would  make  them  better  acquainted  with  our  land 
and  people,  and  would  conduce  to  mutual  understanding 
with  pastors  born  and  bred  in  America,  with  whom  they 
first  came  in  contact  as  students.  It  was  my  hope 
especially,  that  such  a  regular  influx  of  German  blood 
and  German  education  in  our  Seminary  would  act  as 
leaven,  and  as  a  stimulus  to  our  American  students. 

"The  difficulties  with  which  we  had  to  contend  in 
our  German  mission  and  educational  work,  and  the 
honest  wish  to  preserve  a  good  understanding  between 
Philadelphia  and  Kropp,  led  me  to  consider  it  very 
desirable  that  a  trustworthy  person  should  go  over  to 
get  an  idea,  on  the  spot,  of  the  character  of  the  institu- 
tion in  Kropp  and,  at  the  same  time,  by  personal  ac- 
quaintance with  the  teachers  and  directors  there,  to 
establish  a  relation  of  mutual  confidence.  For  this  a  fine 
opportunity  was  offered  when,  in  the  fall  of  1887  the 
General  Lutheran  Conference  was  to  meet  in  Hamburg, 
and  one  of  its  prominent  members,  my  friend  Dr. 
Ruperti,  formerly  President  of  the  Conference,  urged 
me  if  possible,  to  visit  the  Convention,  and  so  promote 
the  good  understanding  which  from  the  beginning  had 
existed  between  the  Allgemeine  Konferenz  and  the 
General  Council." 

THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCE 

About  the  same  time  that  the  General  Council  was 
founded,  as  an  honest  effort  to  unite  all  true  Lutherans 
in  America  on  the  basis  of  the  Confessions,  the  General 
Conference,  Allgemeine  Lutherische  Konferenz,  was 
called  into  being  in  Germany,  especially  to  defend  and 
unite  the  Lutheran  Church  against  the  Unionism  of  the 
Prussian  State  Church  which,  after  the  political  reor- 
ganization of  Germany  in  1866,  threatened  her  existence. 
That  our  General  Council  should  feel  the  most  cordial 


THE  ALLGEMEINE  KONFERENZ  195 

interest  in  this  movement  in  the  old  country,  was  to  be 
taken  for  granted.  At  the  second  convention,  in  Pitts- 
burgh (1868),  a  committee  was  appointed,  to  express 
to  the  General  Conference,  in  the  name  of  the  Council, 
the  warmest  sympathy  in  its  fight  against  Unionism. 
In  June,  1870,  Dr.  A.  Harless,  President  of  the  Con- 
ference, replied  with  assurances  of  the  same  interest 
and  sympathy  on  the  part  of  the  Conference,  in  our 
problems  in  America.  "In  the  Chicago  convention,  1869, 
Dr.  Krauth  was  appointed  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference  at  the  meeting  in  Leipzig,  1870,  and  Dr. 
Sigmund  Fritschel  was  commissioned  to  represent  the 
interests  of  our  General  Council  at  the  same  meeting. 
Dr.  Krauth  could  not  go,  but  Professor  Fritschel  dis- 
charged his  mission  admirably,  and  gave  the  General 
Conference  a  full  account  of  the  position  of  our  Church 
in  America. 

"In  my  President's  report,  Greenville,  1887,  I  recom- 
mended that  the  Council  should  take  notice  of  the  im- 
pending convention  in  Hamburg,  as  we  had  been  in 
fraternal  relation  with  the  General  Conference  from  the 
beginning,  and  because  the  interests  of  the  Lutheran 
Emigrant  Mission  made  an  agreement  between  the  two 
bodies  highly  desirable  on  practical  grounds.  I  proposed, 
either  to  send  a  fraternal  greeting  again,  or  to  elect  a 
delegate  to  Hamburg.  In  the  latter  case,  the  Hamburg- 
American  Line  had  offered  free  transportation  to  such 
a  delegate.  The  result  of  this  suggestion  was  that 
the  President  of  the  General  Council  himself  was  ap- 
pointed delegate  to  the  Hamburg  Conference." 

This  was  on  the  thirteenth  of  September,  on  the 
eleventh  of  October  the  convention  was  to  take  place  in 
Hamburg.  Arrangements  were  quickly  made  for  leave 
of  absence  from  St.  Johannis,  and  for  his  work  in  the 
Seminary,  and  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  September  Dr. 
Spaeth  left  New  York  on  the  steamer  "Rugia,"  landing 


196  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

on  October  6th  in  Hamburg.  He  was  received  very 
kindly  by  the  Emigrant  Missionary,  and  invited  to  lodge 
with  Herr  Valentine  Lorenz  Meyer,  in  whose  house  he 
had  been  entertained  during  a  previous  visit  to  Ham- 
burg. "It  was  quite  an  agreeable  surprise  to  be  greeted 
on  all  sides  as  a  well  known  and  expected  guest,  in 
Hamburg  where  I  believed  myself  an  entire  stranger. 
Having  a  few  days  at  my  disposal  before  the  Conference 
opened,  I  used  them  for  a  visit  to  Kropp,  which,  in 
recent  years,  had  begun  to  send  us  well  educated  young 
men  for  the  service  of  the  American  Church.  I  was 
greatly  disappointed  to  learn  in  Hamburg,  that  Pastor 
Paulsen  the  founder  and  head  of  the  institution  in 
Kropp,  had  just  left  for  America.*  .  .  At  the  very 
hour  in  which  he  landed  in  New  York  I  entered  the 
hospitable  parsonage  in  Kropp,  where  I  was  most  kindly 
received  and  entertained  by  Mrs.  Paulsen.  Next  morn- 
ing I  visited  the  institutions  and  was  present  in  several 
classes.  At  10  o'clock  the  students  were  dismissed  for 
the  fall  vacation,  after  a  short  closing  service,  with 
singing  and  prayer,  and  an  address  by  Pastor  Pf  aff .  . 
.  .  On  Sunday  morning  I  attended  service  in  the 
Kropp  church,  where  a  clergyman  of  the  Schleswig 
State  Church  preached.  With  Pastor  Pfaff,  who  seemed 
to  take  Director  Paulsen's  place  in  the  institution,  I 
conferred  over  the  details  of  the  Seminary  and  its  re- 
lations to  the  General  Council  and  to  our  Seminary  in 
Philadelphia.     I  left  on  Sunday  afternoon." 

THE    CONVENTION    IN    HAMBURG 

After  two  days  with  Dr.  Riiperti  in  Eutin,  Dr.  Spaeth 
and  he  left  for  Hamburg,  where  the  Conference  was  to 

*  It  was  always  Dr.  Spaeth's  opinion  that  a  personal  interview 
at  that  point,  between  him  and  Pastor  Paulsen  might  have  prevented 
much  mischief. 


OPENING  OF  THE  KONFERENZ  197 

assemble  the  same  evening.  The  arrangements  for  the 
convention  were  on  the  grandest  scale.  The  large  Sage- 
biehl  establishment  was  rented  for  the  Conference;  the 
largest  of  its  roomy  halls  held  easily  4,000  persons. 
The  bureau  of  registration  was  in  this  building,  together 
with  everything  that  could  be  thought  of,  for  the  com- 
fort and  convenience  of  the  members.  Clever  young 
fellows  from  the  various  Young  Men's  Societies  of 
Hamburg  served  as  adjutants,  ready  with  any  assistance 
needed,  especially  by  strangers. 

At  the  informal  supper  and  the  reception  afterwards, 
Dr.  Spaeth  met  many  distinguished  men,  some  with 
whom  he  was  already  acquainted,  some  with  whom  he 
had  corresponded  for  years,  others  whom  he  knew  only 
by  name.  Dr.  Kreussler,  the  chief  pastor  of  St.  Peter's 
church  welcomed  the  Conference  in  the  name  of  the 
Hamburg  Local  Committee,  referring  to  many  promi- 
nent figures  in  the  Church  History  of  Hamburg,  such 
as  Bugenhagen,  Neumeister  and  even  the  much  calumni- 
ated Pastor  Goetze.  Dr.  Kliefoth,  President  of  the  Con- 
ference replied.  The  opening  service  next  morning, 
October  12th,  in  St.  Peter's,  drew  together  a  congrega- 
tion of  3,000  worshipers.  From  the  Introit  on,  the  order 
was  exactly  that  of  our  Kirchenbuch.  The  sermon,  by 
Pastor  Becker,  of  Kiel,  treated  of  the  glory  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  in  her  humility.  After  the  service 
the  first  regular  meeting  of  the  Conference  was  opened 
by  Dr.  Kliefoth.  Dr.  Luthardt  followed  with  a  paper 
on  the  position  of  the  Lutheran  Church  with  respect  to 
the  progress  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  On  the 
second  morning  the  order  of  the  day  was  changed  so 
that  the  Delegate  of  the  General  Council  could  present 
his  greeting  at  once. 

"I  spoke  from  a  warm  heart,  full  to  overflowing; 
under  the  deep  impression  of  the  significance  of  this 
hour,  when  I  could  tell  my  fellow-believers  in  my  Ger- 


198  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

man  home  something  of  the  task,  the  work  and  growth, 
the  conflicts  and  difficulties  of  our  Lutheran  Church  in 
America.  'Send  us  your  young  men,'  I  said  in  conclu- 
sion, 'we  will  make  something  out  of  them;  not  Pro- 
fessors and  Doctors  in  the  German  sense,  but  practical, 
self-denying,  energetic  pastors!  And  above  all,  think 
of  us,  love  us.  The  Church  on  the  other  side  is  worthy 
of  a  place  in  your  heart.'  The  address  made  a  pro- 
found impression.  Kliefoth  replied  in  deep  emotion, 
his  voice  often  choked  with  tears.  .  .  .  That  hour 
remains  in  my  memory  as  one  of  the  greatest  in  my 
life,  and  I  thank  God  that  an  understanding  of  the 
position  of  our  General  Council,  and  the  goodwill  of 
the  Conference  toward  us  and  our  work  was  quickened, 
nourished  and  strengthened  by  my  words." 

THE  KROPP  WAR 

This  closing  paragraph  in  Dr.  Spaeth's  Hamburg 
address  was  made  the  pretext  of  the  first  personal  attack 
on  him  by  the  Kropper  Kirchlicher  Anzeiger.  While 
he  was  still  in  Esslingen  a  copy  of  this  paper  was  sent 
to  him,  demanding  a  public  reply  to  the  question  why, 
in  asking  the  Conference  to  send  us  young  men  to 
America,  it  had  not  occurred  to  him  that  the  Seminary 
in  Kropp  is  engaged  in  that  very  work.  Three  alterna- 
tives are  suggested  by  the  Anzeiger:  Was  it  lack  of 
goodwill  toward  Kropp?  Or  opposition  to  that 
Seminary?  Or,  was  it  connected  with  plans  to  degrade 
Kropp  to  a  pro-seminary  for  the  Seminary  in  Philadel- 
phia? The  open  answer  was  very  simple.  There  had 
been  no  intentional  slight  to  Kropp.  The  Hamburg  ad- 
dress was  in  great  part  unpremeditated.  Other  important 
points  were  also  left  untouched.  Dr.  Spaeth  had  taken 
the  trouble  to  go  to  Kropp,  and  would  gladly  have 
spoken  there  of  his  interest  in  the  institution  but  no 


THE  JOINT  COMMITTEE  199 

opportunity  was  given  him.  Hamburg  was  not  the  place 
for  it.  He  referred  to  the  difficulties  which  had  actually 
arisen  in  the  American  Church,  and  which  it  was  pro- 
posed to  obviate  by  giving  the  Kropp  students  one  year 
in  our  Seminary.  There  was  no  question  of  "degrading" 
any  institution,  but  only  how  our  Lutheran  Church  in 
America  could  best  be  served. 

"Meanwhile,  in  Philadelphia,  October  14,  1887,  an 
important  discussion  of  the  subject  had  taken  place  be- 
tween Pastor  Paulsen  and  the  representatives  of  the 
General  Council,  but  without  any  final  result.  On  Dr. 
Mann's  motion  it  was  resolved  that  if  Pastor  Paulsen 
found  among  his  students  those  who,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  Kropp  faculty,  would  gain  anything  by  coming  to 
the  Philadelphia  Seminary  and  afterwards  be  of  service 
to  us,  he  should  send  them  over.  In  another  resolution 
the  obligation  of  the  Council  to  Kropp  was  recognized. 
Finally,  on  motion  of  Pastor  Haas,  the  matter  was  put 
in  the  hands  of  a  sub-committee  who  were  to  report  at 
a  meeting  to  be  called  by  the  President  of  the  General 
Council.  This  Committee  was  Dr.  Mann,  representing 
the  Faculty;  Drs.  Seiss  and  Spaeth,  Trustees;  Pastor 
Wischan  and  Mr.  F.  Bauer  of  the  German  Home  Mis- 
sion Committee.  By  the  time,  however,  that  the  Joint 
Committee  came  together  again,  on  February  17,  1888, 
things  had  taken  such  a  course  that  all  the  resolutions 
passed  in  October  were  rescinded,  and  the  General 
Council  was  recommended  to  break  off  all  connection 
with  Kropp." 

The  discussion  of  October  14,  1887,  had  been  fol- 
lowed three  days  later  by  a  meeting  in  Zion's,  of  clerical 
and  lay  friends  of  Kropp,  including  Pastor  Paulsen. 
Mr.  Karl  Klenk,  President  of  St.  Johannis  Vestry,  was 
in  the  chair.  A  constitution  had  been  prepared  by 
Pastor  J.  Heck  *  which  was  unanimously  adopted,  and 
*  Called  by  Pastor  Paulsen  the  real  founder  of  the  Verein. 


200  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

under  this  the  Kropper  Missions  Hilfs-Verein  was  or- 
ganized on  the  spot.  Membership  was  secured  by  pay- 
ing fifty  cents  quarterly,  four  times  in  succession.  It 
ceased  automatically  when  the  member  was  in  arrears  at 
the  close  of  the  fiscal  year.  Branch  associations  were  to 
be  recognized  wherever  twenty  members  were  secured. 
The  General  Council  was  not  mentioned.  The  Kropp 
Directors  were  to  report  every  six  months  to  the  central 
committee  of  the  new  Verein;  candidates  from  Kropp 
were  to  report  immediately  on  their  arrival  in  America 
to  the  same  committee;  and  it  was  made  the  duty  of 
such  candidates,  wherever  they  were,  to  keep  in  touch 
with  the  committee,  and  to  bestir  themselves  in  founding 
branches  of  the  Kropp  Hilfs-Verein !  *  Kropp  cancels 
its  obligations  to  the  Verein  whenever  the  latter  has 
failed  for  two  years  to  send  at  least  $300  annually.  Over 
against  this  very  modest  expectation,  the  introduction 
laments  that  compared  with  the  needs  of  Kropp,  all 
that  has  so  far  been  contributed  has  been  only  a  small 
fraction  of  what  it  deserved  (actually  not  more  than  an 
average  of  $4,000  per  annum  since  1882!)  and,  that 
in  this  matter  there  has  been  great  negligence!  In 
January,  1888,  appeared  the  first  number  of  the  official 
organ  of  the  Verein,  not  even  wearing  the  semblance 
of  an  angel  of  light;  the  February  number  was  still 
worse. 

At  the  meeting  in  February  of  the  Joint  Committee, 
consisting  of  the  Trustees  of  the  General  Council,  the 
members  of  the  German  Home  Mission  Committee,  and 
the  Faculty  of  the  Seminary  only  two  members  were 
missing.  "After  full  discussion  of  the  subject  the 
Committee  voted  almost  unanimously  that  it  was  not 
desirable  for  the  General  Council  to  keep  up  any  official, 
legal  or  organic  relation  with  the  theological  Seminary 

*  Original    punctuation. 


ACTION  RECOMMENDED  TO  THE  COUNCIL        201 

in  Kropp.  Messrs.  Wischan,  Kuendig,  Hinterleitner 
and  Bendel  voted  against  the  resolution."  In  an  article 
on  the  ''General  Council's  Commission  on  Kropp"  writ- 
ten on  the  day  of  its  meeting,  Dr.  Jacobs  gives  the 
opinion  expressed  by  prominent  men  in  the  Commission. 
Dr.  Seiss  approved  of  our  welcoming  individuals  com- 
ing to  us  from  any  institution  in  Germany,  godly  men, 
properly  prepared,  and  ready  to  work  in  our  spirit.  But 
the  introduction  here  by  wholesale,  of  an  element  that 
has  so  much  to  learn,  is  of  itself  an  evil.  Dr.  Spaeth 
called  attention  to  the  great  care  exercised  here  in  choos- 
ing professors  for  our  Seminary;  in  Kropp  Pastor 
Paulsen  calls  the  professors,  and  they  are  responsible  to 
him  alone.  We  may  learn  from  the  Scandinavians, 
from  Iowa,  from  Missouri,  all  of  whom  have  had  more 
experience  in  home  mission  work  than  our  Church  in 
the  East;  they  proclaim  with  one  voice  that  it  is  alto- 
gether impracticable  to  train  theological  students  in 
Europe  for  service  in  America.  Dr.  Mann  urged  for- 
giveness and  conciliation.  Dr.  Jacobs  said:  the  Com- 
mission had  nothing  to  do  with  personal  feeling  on 
either  side;  it  had  received  from  the  General  Council  a 
trust,  which  it  is  to  administer  in  the  fear  of  God.  The 
sentiment  of  the  Church  is  clear.  It  will  justly  condemn 
us  if  we  yield  our  convictions  from  motives  which  are 
commendable  in  a  private  relation,  but  should  not  be 
heeded  in  an  official  one.  The  only  way  to  peace  is, 
clearly,  frankly,  openly,  unmistakeably  and  promptly, 
to  cut  off  all  connection  with  Kropp.  The  article  goes 
on:  We  believe  that  the  significance  of  the  Conference 
consisted  rather  in  the  opinions  which  were  freely  ex- 
pressed than  in  any  direct  action  taken.  The  action  is 
only  what  everyone  must  have  anticipated  for  months. 
But  the  feeling  which  prevailed  gave  unmistakable  evi- 
dence, that  at  the  proper  time  and  place,  whatever  action 
is  still  needed   further  to  carry  out  the  spirit  of  the 


202  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

resolution,  will  have  the  vigorous  support  of  those  who 
defined  their  position  at  the  Conference. 

"The  storm  reached  its  climax  in  the  end  of  1887 
and  the  beginning  of  the  following  year.  In  the  Kropper 
Kirchl.  Anzeiger  and  in  a  number  of  epistles  and  declara- 
tions sent  out  to  pastors  in  America  and  Germany,  a 
flood  of  incredible  abuse  was  poured  out  over  men  and 
institutions  held,  up  to  that  time,  in  highest  honor  and 
esteem  in  our  Church.  Not  only  the  German  professors 
of  the  Philadelphia  Seminary,  but  also  the  English  Dean 
of  that  institution,  Dr.  Nicum  in  Rochester,  Dr.  Ruperti 
in  Germany,  the  Seminary  of  the  Iowa  Synod  in  Du- 
buque were  the  objects  of  unheard-of  accusations,  mostly 

personal  and  entirely  groundless From  all 

sides  here  and  in  Germany,  came  protests  against  this 
unprecedented  mode  of  warfare.  The  Vestry  of  Zion's 
and  that  of  St.  Johannis  published  resolutions  in  defence 
of  their  pastors,  and  energetically  repelled  the  attack  on 
them,  as  'partly  entirely  false,  partly  founded  on  malic- 
ious misrepresentation  of  facts,  and  ignorance  of 
conditions  here.'  The  Alumni  of  the  Philadelphia 
Seminary,  and,  at  their  suggestion,  the  First  District 
Conference  of  the  Ministerium  did  the  same.  Even  the 
German  Home  Mission  Committee  passed  a  decided 
protest,  which  was  entered  on  the  minutes,  but  not  pub- 
lished. .  .  The  recommendation  of  the  Joint  Com- 
mittee came  before  the  General  Council  at  its  next 
session,  Minneapolis,  1888,  and  the  connection  with 
Kropp  came  to  an  end.  .  .  .  The  Council  took  no 
notice  directly  of  the  malignant  personal  attacks  with 
which  the  conflict  had  been  carried  on.  But  for  its  much 
calumniated  President,  who  retired  now  after  eight 
years'  service,  it  passed  a  hearty  unanimous  vote  of 
confidence ;  the  men  whom  it  held  more  or  less  responsi- 
ble were  excluded  from  further  leadership  in  the  German 
Home  Mission  work,  and  the  Committee  was  so  recon- 


ACTION  OF  THE  MINISTERIUM  203 

structed  as  to  draw  all  its  lay  members  from  Rochester 
and  towns  in  that  vicinity."  In  a  letter  of  September  18, 
1888,  Dr.  Spaeth  writes:  "The  Kropp  matter  was  up, 
and  I  made  a  long  address  confining  myself  solely  to 
the  principles  of  our  Mission  and  educational  work 
underlying  the  whole  business.  I  am  charged  with  the 
drawing  up  of  the  resolutions  which  are  to  contain  the 
final  action  and  position  of  the  General  Council  in  this 
matter." 

All  through  the  history  of  the  Kropp  trouble  as  given 
in  Dr.  Spaeth's  Erinnerungen,  he  passed  very  lightly 
over  the  purely  personal  aspect  of  it.  He  prepared  for 
the  Archives  of  the  Seminary  a  "Red  Book"  containing 
most  of  the  articles  written,  and  some  private  letters 
concerning  Kropp.  But  not  even  there  has  he  alluded 
to  the  infamous  publication  in  which  the  worst  attacks 
appeared,  except  as  it  republished  Mr.  Paulsen's  articles. 
In  the  Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania,  where  alone  the 
power  of  discipline  could  be  exercised,  the  subject  came 
up  at  Lancaster,  1888.  The  President's  Report  alluded 
to  it  in  impersonal  terms  as  a  matter  demanding  im- 
mediate and  radical  action.  This  report  was  read  in 
English.  "Upon  request  the  concluding  portion  of  it 
was  read  in  German  likewise."  (Minutes.)  The  Com- 
mittee on  the  President's  Report,  Dr.  Jacobs,  Chairman, 
recommended  that  the  men  responsible  for  this  offensive 
publication  be  required  "to  make  retraction  and  repara- 
tion for  such  articles,  as  full  and  public  as  they  have 
been  given  circulation."  This  was  adopted  by  a  vote 
of  1 58  to  20,  eleven  members  being  excused  from  voting. 
At  this  meeting  in  Lancaster,  when  the  Synod  was  ready 
to  consider  severe  measures,  Dr.  Spaeth  asked  to  have 
the  proceedings  against  his  enemies  stopped.  He  had 
made  peace  with  the  nominal  editor  of  their  official  or- 
gan, and  was  satisfied. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  Ministerium  in  Lebanon, 


204  THE  SEMINARY  IN  KROPP 

1889,  tne  President  reported  that  the  demand  of  Synod 
had  not  been  complied  with ;  and  that  other  articles  even 
more  offensive,  had  appeared  in  the  journal  referred  to. 
An  effort  made  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation  between 
the  brethren  concerned,  by  an  interview  and  correspon- 
dence with  the  President,  had  also  failed.  The  First 
Conference  had  urged  a  committee  of  investigation,  and 
the  President  recommended  this  course.  Such  a  com- 
mittee of  five  clergymen  was  appointed,  two  were 
selected  by  each  side  in  the  controversy,  and  these  four 
chose  the  fifth.  All  of  them  were  satisfactory  to  the 
principals  concerned.  In  the  President's  Report  at 
Bethlehem,  1890,  the  announcement  was  made  that  the 
work  of  this  committee  had  been  completed,  and  the 
hope  was  expressed  "that  the  long  desired  end  of  this 
unpleasant  affair  had  been  reached  at  last." 

AFTER   TWENTY    YEARS 

We  have  given  the  history  of  Kropp,  its  connection 
with  the  General  Council,  and  all  the  evils  that  grew  out 
of  it.  But  in  the  course  of  time  the  dismounted  cannon 
rusts,  the  wild  flowers  nestle  at  its  mouth,  the  grass 
covers  the  field  that  was  once  drenched  with  blood. 
"The  Seminary  in  Kropp  has  not  ceased  to  exist.  In 
spite  of  severe  financial  stress,  by  the  united,  energetic 
work  of  its  friends  and  pupils  on  both  sides  of  the 
ocean,  it  has  not  merely  been  kept  alive,  but  has  con- 
stantly sent  its  graduates  to  our  American  Church, 
mostly  to  the  General  Council.  While  the  official  con- 
nection of  the  Council  with  the  institution  has  never 
been  renewed,  candidates  from  Kropp  have  been  re- 
ceived by  Synods  belonging  to  the  Council  without  hesi- 
tation. .  .  .  Much  that  was  blighted  twenty  years 
ago,  has  been  restored  and  healed  by  the  faithful  and 
successful  labor  of  Kropp  brethren  in  all  of  our  Synods." 


AFTER  TWENTY  YEARS  205 

About  the  time  that  Dr.  Spaeth  closed  the  Erinne- 
rungen  with  these  and  similar  words,  Pastor  Paulsen 
wrote  to  him  from  Kropp:  "Honored  Herr  Pro- 
fessor ;  I  am  very  anxious  that  everything  that  has  stood 
between  us  may  be  cleared  away,  before  the  Lord  calls 
me.  I  hoped  to  go  to  America  this  fall,  and  would  have 
sought  you  out  then.  My  journey  is  doubtful.  I  am 
tired  to  death  with  the  great  number  of  Mission  festivals. 
This  would  not  hinder  me,  but  several  brethren  write 
that  the  time  is  not  propitious  for  me  to  come  to 
America. 

"I  am  now  fully  sixty-one  years  old,  and  would  not 
like  to  leave  anyone  behind  me,  whom  I  have  angered. 
So  I  beg  you  to  forgive  everything  by  which  I  have 
injured  you.  This  earnest  declaration  has  nothing  to 
do  with  the  discussion  concerning  the  Seminary.  The 
American  brethren  must  decide  the  matter  as  they  think 
best  for  the  General  Council.  I  shall  not  mix  in  with 
this  question.  I  only  wish  for  peace  with  those  who  hold 
the  same  precious  faith  with  us.  I  wish  nothing  to 
come  between  them  and  me.  ...  I  should  be  glad, 
honored  Herr  Professor,  if  you  would  preach  a  festival 
sermon  here,  some  time.  You  will  always  be  most 
heartily  welcomed  by  us. 

"With  fraternal  greetings,  yours  most  truly 

"Johannes  Paulsen. 
"Kropp,  August  28,  1908." 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 
(1880)     1884-1910 

Then  said  Christian  to  the  Porter,  Sir,  what  House  is 
this?  The  Porter  answered,  This  House  was  built 
by  the  Lord  of  the  Hill,  and  He  built  it   for  the 

relief  and  security  of  Pilgrims And 

they  appointed  Piety  and  Prudence  and  Charity  to 

discourse  with  him Late  at  night  after 

they  had  committed  themselves  to  their  Lord  for 
protection,  they  betook  themselves  to  rest:  the  Pil- 
grim they  laid  in  a  large  upper  chamber,  whose  win- 
dow opened  toward  the  sun-rising;  the  name  of  the 

chamber  was  Peace On  the  morrow  he  got 

up  to  go  forward Well,  said  Christian, 

good  Porter,  the  Lord  be  with  thee,  and  add  to  all 
thy  blessings  much  increase,  for  the  kindness  that 
thou  hast  shewed  to  me. — John  Bunyan. 

December  2,  1880.  "A  few  weeks  ago,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  German  Consul,  I  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  the  German  Hospital.  Consul  Meyer, 
the  German,  and  Consul  Westergaard  the  Scandinavian 
Consul  (a  faithful  member  of  our  Lutheran  Church), 
as  well  as  several  other  well-meaning  gentlemen  of  the 
Board  have  a  plan  for  gradually  removing  the  un- 
churchly  element  from  the  direction  of  the  hospital,  and 
bringing  the  whole  work  under  the  control  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  My  election  is  one  step  toward  this 
object.  How  far  the  attempt  will  succeed  the  future 
must  show."     (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.) 

At  the  time  when  Dr.  Spaeth's  connection  with  the 
German  hospital  began,  Mr.  Lankenau  had  been  Presi- 
206 


THE  GERMAN  HOSPITAL  207 

dent  of  its  Board  for  twelve  years.  In  1850  and  again 
in  1853,  unsuccessful  attempts  had  been  made  to  found 
a  hospital.  In  i860  it  was  at  last  incorporated,  and  in 
1 861  Pennbrook,  at  Twentieth  and  Norris  Streets,  was 
purchased.  Just  as  the  building  was  ready  for  occupancy 
it  was  taken  by  the  Government  for  a  military  hospital, 
and  only  toward  the  end  of  1866  the  original  Board 
took  possession  again,  and  opened  the  German  Hospital 
with  room  for  fifty  patients.  In  1868  Mr.  Lankenau 
was  elected  President;  in  1872  the  Board  purchased  the 
property  opposite  Girard  College,  and  in  1874  consider- 
ably enlarged  the  building.  The  Legislature  made  an 
appropriation  of  $20,000,  and  the  first  free  beds  were 
established. 

"There  is  no  doubt  that  the  personality  of  Mr. 
Lankenau  won  for  the  hospital  more  and  more,  the 
public  esteem  and  sympathy  which,  so  far,  it  had  not 
enjoyed.  But  now  he  wished  to  take  a  step  in  advance, 
and  to  bring  the  Hospital  into  closer  connection  with 
the  Church,  though  he  well  knew  that  from  the  majority 
of  the  Board  he  could  not  count  on  much  sympathy  in 
this  direction.  In  later  years  he  told  me  how  this  sug- 
gestion had  first  come  to  him  from  his  brother-in-law, 
Mr.  Drexel,  a  Roman  Catholic.  Surely  a  wonderful 
leading  of  Providence,  that  this  hint  was  eventually  to 
result  in  the  founding  of  our  Deaconess  Motherhouse ! 

"Toward  the  end  of  1880  Consul  Charles  H.  Meyer 
called  on  me  to  ask  me,  in  Mr.  Lankenau's  name,  to 
accept  a  position  on  the  Hospital  Board.  Mr.  Lankenau 
had  announced  his  intention  of  doing  great  things  for 
the  Hospital,  but  only  on  condition  that  a  relation  of 
mutual  confidence  between  it  and  the  Church  could  be 
established,  so  that  they  could  work  together.  The 
election  of  a  Lutheran  pastor  in  the  Board  was  to  pave 
the  way  for  this,  and  I  was  to  be  that  pastor.  The 
application  had  first  been  made  to  Dr.  Mann  as  Senior 


208  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

of  our  German  Lutheran  pastors.  He  had  declined  the 
invitation,  knowing  well  the  spirit  which,  so  far,  had 
ruled  in  the  hospital,  and  having  no  great  hope  that  a 
real  harmony  between  the  Church  and  the  institution 
could  be  established. 

"To  me  also  this  proposition  was  equally  unexpected 
and  astonishing.  In  my  work  as  pastor  I  had  already 
had  all  sorts  of  curious  experiences  in  the  German 
Hospital.  When  I  had  been  called  to  minister  to  the 
sick  or  dying  the  door  had  been  shut  in  my  face,  with 
the  curt  command:  'Come  again  at  visiting  hour!' 
When  I  spoke  quite  openly  to  the  Consul  of  my  scruples 
he  assured  me  that  such  things  would  not  happen  again, 
if  Mr.  Lankenau  carried  out  his  plan.  The  more  I 
thought  about  it  the  greater  seemed  the  responsibility 
of  rejecting  the  proffered  hand  of  the  noble-minded 
President.  After  some  consideration,  and  consultation 
with  Dr.  Mann,  I  accepted  the  invitation  and  entered 
the  Board  in  1881. 

"During  the  first  two  years  of  my  connection  with  the 
Hospital  Board  the  changes  in  the  Charter  desired  by 
Mr.  Lankenau,  were  made.  The  number  of  members 
was  reduced  to  sixteen,  their  term  of  service  being  ex- 
tended to  eight  years ;  and  the  inclusion  in  the  Board  of 
three  Lutheran  pastors  belonging  to  the  Ministerium 
of  Pennsylvania  was  secured.  I  had  the  privilege  of 
proposing  the  two  colleagues  who,  with  me,  were  to 
represent  the  Church.  They  were  Dr.  Mann  and  Pastor 
Wischan,  who  were  both  unanimously  elected.  Now 
for  the  first  time  we  began  to  hear  something  of 
Deaconesses,  who  might  possibly  solve  the  endless  per- 
plexities of  the  Hospital  in  obtaining  proper  nurses. 
Mr.  Lankenau  and  the  Consul  made  several  vain  at- 
tempts in  Kaiserswerth  and  elsewhere,  to  persuade  the 
Motherhouses  to  spare  us  a  number  of  Sisters,  but  were 
everywhere  refused.     In  1883  Consul  Meyer,  being  in 


THE  COMING  OF  THE   DEACONESSES  209 

Hamburg,  learned  from  Pastor  Ninck  of  an  independent 
Deaconess  association  in  the  hospital  at  Iserlohn,  having 
their  own  Oberin,  Sister  Marie  Krueger,  who  might  be 
inclined  to  accept  our  invitation.  Correspondence  was 
soon  begun,  and  on  the  nineteenth  of  June,  1884,  seven 
Sisters  landed  in  Jersey  City,  ready  to  begin  work  in 
the  German  Hospital. 

"The  builders  were  still  in  possession  of  the  new 
south  wing;  the  late  house-master  and  his  wife  were 
not  yet  gone,  and  regarded  with  unfriendly  eyes  the 
Sisters  who  came  to  supplant  them;  the  Trustees  did 
not  understand  the  situation ;  the  Doctors  were  not  at  all 
inclined  to  recognize  in  the  Sisters  the  well-trained  and 
self-sacrificing  Deaconesses,  who  carried  on  their  work 
of  love  for  God's  sake,  and  not  for  filthy  lucre.* 

"The  worst  of  it  was,  that  so  many  petty  hindrances 
were  laid  in  the  way  of  the  Sisters  by  the  house  author- 
ities, as  to  make  their  work  exceedingly  difficult,  if  not 
impossible.  The  result  was  that  in  a  short  time  they 
were  so  totally  discouraged,  that  they  thought  seriously 
of  returning  to  Germany;  and  once,  if  I  have  not  been 
misinformed,  had  even  packed  their  trunks !  They  were 
at  that  time  regular  members  of  St.  Johannis,  and  had 
their  own  pew.  Coming  to  church  one  Sunday  evening 
they  heard  me  preach,  in  a  course  on  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  from  the  verses,  chapter  16:  9,  ff.,  Paul's 
vision:  'Come  over  into  Macedonia  and  help  us.' 
Whether  I  made  any  direct  reference  to  the  Deaconess 
work  in  America  I  do  not  now  recall.  But  the  Sisters 
themselves  made  this  application.  They  left  the  church 
in  silence.  At  last  one  of  them  said:  'I  think  we'll 
unpack  our  trunks !'  The  others  agreed,  and  the  Sisters 
stayed. 

*  Most  of  these  details  are  quoted  in  the  Erinnerungen  from  the 
account  written  by  Consul  Meyer,  and  deposited  in  the  corner-stone 
of  our  Motherhouse. 


210  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

"Mr.  Lankenau  had  long  had  in  mind  the  founding 
of  a  Home  for  aged  and  friendless  Germans.  As  early 
as  1878  he  and  his  daughter  had  planned  the  details  of 
this  institution,  which  was  to  be  a  memorial  to  the  late 
Mrs.  Lankenau,  Mary  Johanna  Drexel.  For  this  pur- 
pose Mr.  Lankenau  had  purchased  land  adjoining  the 
German  Hospital,  and  in  the  altered  Charter  a  clause 
was  inserted  giving  the  control  of  the  new  institution  to 
the  Board  of  the  Hospital.  But  now  the  Deaconesses 
were  here.  It  was  evident  that  if  this  work  were  to 
be  established  and  to  continue  among  us,  steps  must  be 
taken  as  soon  as  possible  for  founding  a  Motherhouse 
where  probationers  could  be  trained,  and  where  aged 
Sisters,  no  longer  able  to  work,  could  find  a  home. 
The  Diaconate  is  in  its  nature  an  institution  of  the 
Church,  and  as  the  new  charter  had  already  provided 
for  a  closer  relation  between  the  hospital  and  the  Minis- 
terium  of  Pennsylvania,  there  was  no  question  that  the 
proposed  Motherhouse  must  stand  in  organic  connection 
with  the  Lutheran  Church.  When  Mr.  Lankenau  was 
ready  to  build  the  long  projected  Home  I  urged  him  to 
provide,  in  the  new  building,  the  necessary  rooms  for 
a  Motherhouse.  Our  first  Oberin,  Marie  Krueger,  made 
the  very  valuable  suggestion  that  space  should  be  re- 
served also  for  a  Children's  Hospital,  which  would 
relieve  the  German  Hospital,  and  provide  a  fine  training 

school   for  the   probationers After  much 

consultation  a  separate  Board  *  for  the  Home  and 
Motherhouse  was  made  possible  by  a  change  in  the 
Charter,  and  the  Hospital  leased  the  necessary  ground 
for  999  years,  at  a  nominal  rent 

*  In  February,  1885,  a  standing  Deaconess  Committee  had  been 
named  by  Mr.  Lankenau,  which  met  regularly  every  month,  and 
had  charge  of  the  interests  of  the  Sisters.  This  Committee  in- 
cluded Mr.  Lankenau,  Consul  Meyer,  and  Drs.  Mann  and  Spaeth. 
When  the  Charter  was  adopted,  October  20,  1887,  the  gentlemen  of 
the  Deaconess  Committee,  with  the  addition  of  Pastor  Grahn, 
formed  the  new  corporation. 


THE  TOUR  OF  THE  DEACONESS  HOUSES  211 

"Although,  in  the  course  of  events,  I  had  been  placed 
in  a  more  or  less  leading  position  in  our  Deaconess  af- 
fairs, I  myself  knew  only  too  well  how  little  real  ex- 
perience and  practical  knowledge  I  possessed,  and  how 
often  my  friends  and  I  were  obliged  to  feel  our  way 

in  the  dark It  seemed  absolutely  necessary 

to  a  reliable  judgment  in  these  matters,  that  I  should 
visit  the  most  important  Deaconess  Houses  in  Germany. 
To  this  end  I  undertook  the  journey  in  1886,  visiting 
in  order,  Kaiserswerth,  Bielefeld,  Hannover,  Altona, 
Neudettelsau  and  Stuttgart.  Everywhere  I  was  re- 
ceived most  kindly,  and  was  given  every  opportunity 
to  acquire  minutest  information  about  the  principles 
and  methods  of  the  Deaconess  work  in  Germany.  In 
Kaiserswerth  I  had  a  special  mission  in  clearing  the 
way  for  the  necessary  recognition  of  our  institution  by 
German  Deaconess  Houses.  Our  Oberin  had  formerly 
been  a  Kaiserswerth  Sister,  and  had  left  her  Mother- 
house.  The  result  was  a  rather  cool  attitude  toward 
the  sisterhood  assembled  by  her,  and  later  brought 
over  to  Philadelphia.  .  .  .  For  fully  two  hours  I 
discussed  this  matter  with  Disselhof,  Fliedner's  successor 
in  Kaiserswerth,  pleading  for  Philadelphia,  and  trying 
to  convince  him  of  the  far  reaching  importance  of  our 
work  in  America.  At  last  Disselhof  promised  that  the 
irregular  action  of  a  single  Sister  should  not  be  a 
hindrance,  when  the  question  came  up  of  a  formal  recog- 
nition, and  a  friendly  co-operation  between  Kaiserswerth 
and  Philadelphia.  Before  long  our  Motherhouse  was 
received  into  the  General  Conference  of  Deaconess 
Houses,  which  meets  every  three  years  in  Kaiserswerth.* 

*  In  1888  our  Motherhouse  was  invited  to  take  part  in  the  Con- 
ference as  a  guest,  "provided  that  its  rules  and  regulations  should 
be  found  in  accordance  with  the  principles  recognized  by  the  Gen- 
eral Conference."  In  1894  it  was  admitted  as  a  regular  member  of 
the  Conference. 


212  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

"I  gathered  my  most  direct  information  on  the 
subject  in  the  Henri ettensti ft  in  Hannover.  At  that 
time  the  late  Dr.  Buettner  was  still  Rector  there,  and 
no  one  could  have  been  kinder  than  he  was  to  his 
American  guest.  ...  He  knew  that  I  had  come 
to  learn,  so,  settling  himself  comfortably  in  his  chair, 
he  said  to  me:  'Now,  catechise  me!'  I  did  so,  keeping 
my  note-book  ready,  like  a  reporter,  and  making  one 
entry  after  another.  What  particularly  appealed  to  me 
there  was  the  sober  and  yet  deep,  sound,  Lutheran  spirit 
in  which  the  work  in  the  Henriettenstift  was  conducted. 

.  .  .  In  Neudettelsau  I  found  much  of  Loehe's 
love  for  America  and  our  Church  here  in  his  successor, 
Rector  Meyer;  also  a  readiness  to  help  us  practically 
by  lending  us  Sisters,  such  as  I  found  nowhere  else, 
except  perhaps  in  von  Bodelschwingh  at  Bielefeld.  We 
wished  to  obtain  a  teacher  for  our  probationers  (Probe- 
meisterin)  from  Neudettelsau  for  a  term  of  years,  and 
Rector  Meyer  had  selected  one,  but  the  state  of  her 
health  forbade  her  coming  to  America." 

The  following  details,  more  personal  than  those  given 
in  the  Erinnerungen,  are  taken  from  letters  to  Mrs. 
Spaeth.  On  the  twenty-ninth  of  May  Dr.  Spaeth  sailed 
on  the  Rhynland  for  Antwerp,  landing  Thursday,  June 
ioth.  "I  notified  Consul  Meyer  in  Cologne  of  my  ar- 
rival in  Antwerp,  and  was  very  warmly  received.  He 
had  seen  the  Empress  Augusta  in  Baden-Baden,  and, 
in  a  special  audience,  had  had  the  privilege  of  laying 
before  her  a  full  statement  of  our  Philadelphia  efforts 
in  behalf  of  the  Deaconess  cause.  She  was  very  kind 
and  promised  her  further  interest  and  assistance.     .     .     . 

"At  noon  I  left  Cologne  for  Duesseldorf,  taking  the 
steamer  there  at  3  p.  m.  Forty  minutes  later  we 
stopped  at  the  quiet  little  town  of  Kaiserswerth,  which 
lies  close  to  the  Rhine.  Pastor  Disselhof  was  out  of 
town  for  the  day,  but  Sister  Mina,  the  Sister  Superior, 


KAISERSWERTH  213 

a  daughter  of  the  venerable  Fliedner  received  me  very 
kindly,  and  after  some  conversation  went  herself  to 
fetch  one  of  the  older  sisters  to  show  me  through  the 
labyrinth  of  the  different  institutions.  My  guide  hap- 
pened to  be  Sister  Marie  Mewes,  for  whom  Frau  Oberin 
had  given  me  special  greetings.  She  was  very  pleasant, 
and  very  thorough  in  pointing  out  everything,  answer- 
ing every  question  and  entering  fully  into  those  points 
on  which  I  was  particularly  anxious  to  obtain  full  in- 
formation. The  rooms,  the  furniture,  the  whole  equip- 
ment of  all  these  institutions, — everything, — is  exceed- 
ingly simple,  almost  primitive;  hardly  above  the  style 
of  a  good  substantial  peasant's  house,  but  scrupulously 
clean  and  well  kept.  I  was  most  astonished  at  the  com- 
pactness, even  closeness  of  the  different  buildings,  which 
must  all  be  more  or  less  crowded.  .  .  .  But  this  is 
not  written  as  an  accusation  against  the  institutions 
themselves.  They  are  another  living  illustration  of  that 
wonderful  pluck  and  thrift  through  which  German 
piety  has  done  such  great  things  in  Hermannsburg, 
Neuen  Dettelsau  and  other  places.  Among  the  Sisters 
I  saw  many  good  and  strong  faces,  especially  among 
the  older  ones,  but  there  is  also  no  lack  of  such  as 
seem  to  me,  with  my  short  experience,  most  unpromis- 
ing." 

Whitsunday,  June  13,  1886.  "I  was  wakened  this 
morning  by  the  strains  of  'O  du  f  roehliche,  o  du  selige, 
gnadenbringende  Pfingsten-Zeit'  coming  on  the  wings 
of  the  morning  breezes  from  the  near-by  institutions. 
A  few  minutes  before  nine  a  son  of  Pastor  Disselhof 
came  to  take  me  to  church.  The  liturgy  is  that  of  the 
Unirte  Agenda.  The  singing  was  a  disappointment  to 
me,  neither  spirited  nor  strong,  but  rather  dragging  and 
weak.  The  sermon  of  Pastor  Disselhof  was  good,  but 
we  got  only  the  first  part  of  it.  With  the  second  he 
did  what  the  pastor  of  St.  Johannis  not  unfrequently 


214  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

does  with  his  second  or  third  parts.  He  condensed  it 
in  a  few  sentences. 

"After  the  sermon  Sister  Mina  took  me  through  the 
Paul  Gerhardt  Stift,  a  home  for  women  in  three  differ- 
ent classes,  three  different  prices  being  paid  per  annum. 
This  is  one  of  the  latest  additions  to  the  cluster  of 
Kaiserswerth  institutions,  and,  in  its  new  wing,  certainly 
the  most  comfortable  and  homelike  of  all  the  buildings 
I  have  thus  far  visited.  The  walls  are  adorned  with 
inscriptions  taken  from  Paul  Gerhardt's  most  beautiful 
hymns.  A  very  pretty  garden,  with  winding  paths  and 
cozy  arbors  among  the  rich  shrubbery,  adds  much  to 
the  beauty  and  comfort  of  this  institution.  From  the 
Paul  Gerhardt  Stift  we  went  to  the  Magdalen  Asylum, 
and  on  our  way  saw  the  old  garden-house  in  which 
Fliedner  began  the  work  in  1833,  and  which  has  just 
^>een  bought  by  the  contributions  of  the  sisters  them- 
selves, to  be  given  to  the  institution  as  a  lasting  me- 
morial. It  will  be  adorned  with  a  bust  of  Fliedner,  and 
thus  be  kept  in  future  as  the  real,  historical,  monumental 
place  from  which  this  vast  work  has  grown. 

"After  dinner  I  walked  out  about  half  a  mile,  to  the 
Johannisberg  where,  in  my  opinion,  the  future  of  all 
the  Kaiserswerth  institutions  will  be.  Ample  ground 
has  already  been  secured,  covering  about  sixty  acres. 
Some  beautiful  buildings  have  been  constructed,  roomy, 
airy,  comfortable  in  every  point;  it  is  a  real  New 
Kaiserswerth  on  the  highest  elevation,  without  the  great 
inconvenience  and  danger  which  always  threaten  the 
old  institutions  whenever  Father  Rhine  rises  above  his 
banks.  I  was  kindly  received  by  Rev.  George  Fliedner  in 
his  manse  on  the  hill,  and  had  coffee  with  him  and  his 
family.  ...  I  had  the  great  pleasure  of  meeting 
the  two  deaconesses  stationed  at  Rome,  now  at  home  on 
leave  of  absence.  One  of  them  was  a  daughter  of 
Professor  Ouenstedt  of  Tuebingen,  a  warm  friend  of 


BIELEFELD  215 

our  family,  who  exclaimed  in  delight:  'Surely  you  can- 
not be  Adolph  Spaeth  from  Esslingen?'  Another 
pleasant  discovery  was  that  Frau  Pastor  Fliedner  turned 
out  to  be  the  grand-daughter  of  my  dear  and  venerable 
friend  Dr.  Mallet  of  Bremen,  and  remembered  the 
verses  which  I  had  written  twenty-three  years  ago,  dur- 
ing our  meeting  in  Lichtenthal,  Baden-Baden. 

"At  five  o'clock  I  attended  service,  and  heard  a  very 
earnest,  devout  and  spiritual  sermon  by  old  Pastor 
Strieker.  Then  I  had  the  pleasure  of  taking  supper  with 
Pastor  Disselhof  whom  thus  far  I  had  not  met  per- 
sonally. I  spent  a  most  profitable  evening  with  him, 
though  he  was  a  little  stiff  and  reserved  at  the  begin- 
ning; but  he  thawed  gradually,  and  when  we  took  a 
quiet  Sunday  evening  walk  through  the  beautiful  gardens 
adjoining  the  parsonage,  and  extending  the  whole  length 
of  the  north  side  of  the  old  town  wall,  met  here  and 
there  by  groups  of  sisters  and  young  female  teachers, 
I  found  him  quite  open  and  pleasant,  and  hope  that  I 
have  been  much  benefitted  by  our  conversation." 

June  16,  1886.  "My  pen  is  not  able  to  do  justice  to 
the  truly  wonderful  things  I  have  seen  in  my  visit  to 
Bielefeld.  Pastor  von  Bodelschwingh  is  certainly  the 
greatest  genius  in  the  line  of  philanthropic  enterprise 
and  organization  the  world  has  ever  seen.  He  has  de- 
voted himself  to  taking  charge  of,  and  caring  kindly 
for  the  most  miserable  of  miserables,  the  poor  epileptic 
sufferers,  down  to  the  most  hopeless  idiots.  Fearful 
scenes,  sickening  to  the  eye  of  a  newcomer;  terrible 
interruptions  during  the  services  in  the  sanctuary,  in 
the  dining  rooms,  in  the  workshops;  and  everywhere 
couches  set  in  every  available  corner  to  receive  those 
who  have  an  attack,— and  yet,  withal,  a  spirit  of  heavenly 
peace  and  love  smiling  from  the  faces  of  these  faithful 
workers  and  reflecting  itself  in  the  grateful  countenances 
of  those  wretched  ones,  who  cling  with  childlike  trust 


216  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

and  touching  affection  to  their  benefactors.  O  what 
a  power  the  Gospel  is!  I  was  walking  as  one  who  is 
in  a  land  of  miracles,  the  tears  constantly  welling  up 
into  my  eyes  and  my  heart  overflowing  with  the  one 
thought:     'Der  Herr  hilft  den  Elenden  herrlich!'  * 

"Over  seven  hundred  sufferers  of  every  description 
have  found  refuge  in  this  Paradise,  cut  out  of  the 
forest  of  Teutoberg,  where  Arminius  once  destroyed  the 
legions  of  Varus.  A  beautiful  church  in  the  midst  of 
the  woods,  on  a  terrace  which  has  been  cleared  of  trees 
so  as  to  allow  just  one  little  glimpse  of  the  world 
below,  has  room  for  sixteen  hundred  people.  I  at- 
tended service  there  on  Pfingstmontag  evening,  and  en- 
joyed our  own  Vespers,  with  the  Psalm  sung  in  the 
fifth  tone,  intoned  by  deaconesses  from  the  organ.  I 
was  amused  at  the  manner  in  which  I  was  first  received 
by  the  'Herr  Baron'  as  the  people  of  Bielefeld  call  that 
true  nobleman,  Pastor  von  Bodelschwingh.  He  was 
certainly  very  kind  and  good  to  me  at  the  very  begin- 
ning, but  I  could  not  help  feeling  that  to  him  and  his 
excellent  fellow  laborers  I  was  at  first  nothing  but  the 
'American.'  I  had  to  work  my  way  up  into  their  full 
confidence  and  hearty  understanding.  And  I  think  I 
won  it.  When  I  parted  from  him  yesterday  noon,  he 
came  down  with  me  to  the  omnibus  and  kissed  me  as  we 
said  good-bye. 

"At  Dr.  Buettner's  in  the  Henrietten-Stift  (Han- 
nover) I  found  letters.  .  .  .  Pastor  Buettner  was 
very  kind  to  me.  He  represents  to  my  mind  the  sound, 
sober,  thoroughly  churchly  and  truly  Lutheran  type  of 
the  Diaconate.  I  learned  a  great  deal  from  him,  and 
consider  his  work  the  most  substantial  of  all  I  have  thus 

*  Psalm  149 : 4.  The  English  translation  is  not  so  expressive  here 
as  Luther's  version,  though  undoubtedly  closer  to  the  original.  Dr. 
Spaeth  would  not  have  quoted  "He  will  beautify  the  meek  with 
salvation,"  when  he  meant  "He  helpeth  the  wretched  gloriously!" 


HANNOVER,    EISENACH,    NEU    DETTELSAU        217 

far  seen.  His  Oberin,  too,  is  the  very  ideal  of  an  in- 
telligent, refined,  sweet,  Christian,  motherly  lady. 
Happy  the  sisters  that  are  trained  under  her;  happy  the 
pastor  that  works  with  her!"  In  Altona  he  had  Pastor 
SchaefTer  all  to  himself  for  five  hours.  "Our  talk  cov- 
ered every  branch  and  aspect  of  the  great  work,  and 
was  most  profitable  for  me.  From  Altona  I  went  to 
the  Rauhe  Haus,  where  I  met  the  present  Director,  a 
son  of  the  sainted  Wichern,  and  was  shown  through 
the  whole  institution." 

Eisenach,  June  19,  1886.  "Here  I  was  much  dis- 
appointed in  finding  that  the  excellent  Deaconess-Pastor 
Schubert  is  absent  over  Sunday.  I  spent  some  time  in 
conversation  with  his  venerable  mother,  and  was  shown 
through  the  neat  Diaconissen-Stift  by  one  of  the  Sisters. 
It  is  close  to  the  Nicolai-Gate,  and  was  formerly  a  con- 
vent. The  position  of  Pastor  Schubert  in  Eisenach  is  a 
very  peculiar  one.  He  was  sent  there  simply  as  the 
pastor  of  the  Deaconess  Station  which  is  in  connection 
with  the  Henrietten-Stift.  But  as  the  preachers  of 
Eisenach  at  the  present  time  are  tinged  with  rationalism 
the  evangelical  Christians  of  the  place  soon  rallied  around 
him,  and  finally  he  was  even  recognized  by  the  church 
authorities  and  made  pastor  of  the  Stifts-Kirche." 

June  21,  1886.  "I  had  a  very  pleasant  day  in  Neu 
Dettelsau,  apart  from  the  weather  which  was  perfectly 
horrible,  a  cold,  penetrating  rain  pouring  down  day  and 
night.  Early  in  the  morning  I  went  through  all  the 
institutions  with  Rector  Meyer,  and  in  the  afternoon 
had  a  long  conference  with  him.  I  found  him  much 
more  approachable  than  any  other  leading  man  I  have 
thus  far  seen.  At  6  p.  m.  I  attended  Vespers  in  the 
Chapel,  a  most  beautiful  and  impressive  service;  the 
intonation  both  in  singing  and  reading  on  the  part  of 
the  Sisters  is  the  most  perfect  thing  in  this  line  I  ever 
heard.     After  Vespers   I   spent  the  evening  with   In- 


2i8  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

spector  Deinzer,  talking  chiefly  American  church-politics 
and  controversies,  until  10  p.  m." 

Esslingen,  July  i,  1886.  "I  recently  gave  a  very 
thorough  inspection  to  the  hospital  which  is  under  my 
brother's  direction,  and  which  he  attends  with  the  assis- 
tance of  two  deaconesses.  He  speaks  in  the  highest 
terms  of  their  usefulness  and  reliability  in  everything. 
One  has  charge  of  the  household,  the  other  of  the  nurs- 
ing." During  his  stay  in  Esslingen  he  also  held  a 
Bibelstunde  with  these  faithful  Sisters. 

Esslingen,  July  8,  1886.  "Yesterday  I  visited  the 
Deaconess  House  in  Stuttgart,  where  I  had  a  long  con- 
versation with  the  Inspector,  Rev.  Mr.  Hoffmann,  who 
received  me  most  kindly  and  gave  me  profitable  informa- 
tion on  many  points.  I  find  that  the  Stuttgart  Deaconess 
House  labors  under  the  great  disadvantage  of  getting 
its  sisters  only  from  the  lower  classes  of  servant  girls. 
However  admirable  their  training  is, — my  brother  per- 
forms the  most  difficult  and  complicated  operations  only 
with  the  assistance  of  his  Sisters, — it  is  a  great  pity  that 
there  should  be  no  accessions  from  the  more  educated 
classes." 

November  11,  1886,  the  corner-stone  of  the  handsome 
Deaconess  House  and  Mary  J.  Drexel  Home  was  laid. 
The  building  is  fire-proof  throughout.  A  beautiful 
chapel  is  in  the  centre ;  the  west  wing  contains  the  Chil- 
dren's Hospital  and  the  Old  People's  Home;  in  the  east 
wing  are  the  commodious  quarters  for  the  Sisters,  ad- 
ministration rooms,  and  an  interesting  collection  of 
Drexel-Lankenau  portraits,  and  articles  associated  with 
the  two  families.  For  the  ceremony  of  the  corner-stone 
laying  a  platform  had  been  erected  for  the  Sisters, 
numbering  about  twenty  at  that  time.  Several  of  them 
wore  medals  for  meritorious  service  in  the  field  hospitals 
during  the  Franco-Prussian  War.  The  Oberin  wore 
also  the  Iron  Cross,  the  highest  decoration  conferred 


MARY  J.  DREXEL  HOME  219 

by  Prussia  on  a  woman.  The  principal  German  address 
was  made  by  Dr.  Spaeth.  His  theme  was:  What  is 
this  house  that  is  here  erected,  to  be?  "It  is  to  be  a 
stately  building,  which  can  stand  comparison  with  the 
marble  columns  and  entablatures  of  a  Girard  College, 
an  honor  to  the  German  name  in  this  city;  it  is  to  be  a 
building  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  a  noble  woman, 
whose  life  was  devoted  to  charitable  deeds,  and  whose 
name  this  house  will  bear ;  it  is  to  be  a  home  where  Ger- 
mans of  good  character  are  to  receive  faithful  care,  in 
their  old  age,  without  regard  to  their  religious  faith; 
and  it  is  to  be  a  Deaconess  Motherhouse,  where  Sisters 
can  be  trained,  and  where  they  can  find  a  home  for  life. 
For  the  care  of  the  old  people  and  of  the  children,  for 
whom  a  hospital  will  also  be  opened,  the  nursing  of  the 
sick  in  the  German  Hospital,  are  all  to  be  in  the  hands 
of  Deaconesses.  And,  under  the  blessing  of  God, 
Deaconesses  shall  go  out  from  this  house,  far  and  wide 
over  our  great  country,  to  serve  all  those  who  need  the 
care  of  a  pious  woman's  heart,  and  the  ministry  of  a 
tender  woman's  hand.  .  .  .  The  hospital,  as  such, 
has  no  religious  or  confessional  character,  either  among 
its  patients  or  in  its  Board.  But  the  Deaconess  institu- 
tion is  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Confession.  Its 
whole  prosperity  depends  on  the  determination,  sincerity 
and  fidelity  with  which  a  heartfelt  faith  is  nurtured,  as 
the  motive  power  in  all  service  of  love  and  mercy.  Take 
that  away,  and  you  take  away  the  heart  of  the  Diaconate 
and  give  it  over  to  certain  death.  Therefore  is  the 
Chapel  the  centre  of  this  building.  A  house  of  God  it 
is,  that  we  build  here,  as  a  sign  and  testimony  that  the 
Founder  of  this  institution,  whom  we  delight  in  honor- 
ing as  our  Deaconess-father,  does  not  wish  to  build  in 
the  air,  but  on  the  good  solid  foundation  of  evangelical 
faith,  besides  which  none  other  can  be  laid;  and  which 
alone    has    given    our    German    Fatherland    its    thou- 


220  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

sands  of  devoted  and  untiring  Deaconesses."  These 
ideas  had  already  become  familiar  to  our  Philadelphia 
Lutherans.*  Their  significance  here  lies  in  the  fact 
that  the  first  draft  of  this  address  had  been  submitted 
to  Mr.  Lankenau,  and  had  received  his  unqualified  ap- 
proval. 

During  the  first  years  Dr.  Spaeth  was  the  Pastor  of 
the  Sisters;  every  Friday  evening  he  held  a  Bible  class 
in  their  dining  room  in  the  hospital.  Most  of  the  cor- 
respondence in  the  matter  of  gaining  new  Sisters  was 
in  his  hands,  as  well  as  the  decision  on  the  acceptance 
of  applicants.  In  the  instruction  of  the  probationers 
he  was  aided  by  a  few  of  our  Philadelphia  pastors.  The 
greatest  difficulty  was  in  procuring  even  fairly  satisfac- 
tory assistants  in  the  work  of  the  Sisters.  Dr.  Schaeffer 
of  Altona  wrote:  "See  that  you  get  out  of  the  hospital, 
or  you  will  never  have  a  Motherhouse !"  That  was 
easier  said  than  done.  On  the  fourth  of  January,  1887, 
the  first  formal  consecration  of  a  probationer  took  place. 
At  the  same  service  two  Sisters  from  Germany  were  re- 
ceived into  our  community.  Not  one  of  them  belongs 
to  our  Motherhouse  today. 

In  November,  1887,  the  first  Oberin  died.  Sister 
Wilhelmine  was  acting  Oberin  for  six  months,  and  Dr. 
Spaeth  was  appointed  to  hold  weekly  conferences  with 
the  older  Sisters.  At  the  same  time  Consul  Meyer  was 
in  correspondence  with  Pastor  Disselhof  regarding  a 
new  Oberin.  Wanda  von  Oertzen's  name  was  promi- 
nently before  the  Board,  but  Dr.  Spaeth  at  first  opposed 
her  nomination  because  she  had  never  had  any  regular 

*  On  the  12th  of  January,  1885,  Dr.  Spaeth  had  lectured  in  Zion's 
on  Phebe  the  Deaconess,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  the  work 
of  the  Sisters  to  our  Philadelphia  people,  and  stirring  up  a  real 
love  for  it,  and  interest  in  it.  This  lecture  was  published  in  German 
and  English,  and  widely  disseminated.  Copies  of  it,  in  both  lan- 
guages, were  placed  in  the  corner-stone. 


WANDA  von  OERTZEN 


training  in  a  recognized  German  Motherhouse.  Only 
after  receiving  very  high  testimony  as  to  her  character 
and  ability  did  he  withdraw  his  protest  against  calling 
her.  "I  can  be  perfectly  open  about  this,  because  with 
Wanda  von  Oertzen  herself  I  never  made  any  secret  of 
my  doubts.  And  in  the  frankness  which  was  character- 
istic of  her,  she  said  to  me  more  than  once:  'I  lack 
training  as  a  deaconess!'  What  she  had,  and  what 
made  her  an  important,  perhaps  indispensable  force,  in 
the  history  of  our  house  at  that  time,  was  the  excellent 
schooling  in  sick-nursing  which  she  had  enjoyed  under 
Esmarch,  and  which  enabled  her  to  take  a  position  in 
the  hospital  which  impressed  even  our  Doctors.  She 
reached  Philadelphia  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  May,  1888, 
and  was  formally  installed  by  me  on  the  eighteenth  of 
June,  as  Oberin  of  our  Deaconess  House."  * 

"About  the  same  time  a  weighty  matter  was  decided, 
by  appointing  a  regular  Deaconess  Pastor,  who  could 
devote  all  his  time  and  strength  to  this  work.  From 
the  time  we  began  to  build  the  Motherhouse  I  used  every 
opportunity  to  impress  on  Mr.  Lankenau  the  necessity 
of  such  an  office.  .  .  .  From  the  first  our  good 
President  was  not  at  all  ready  for  this  step.  He  thought 
that  so  far  I  had  acted  as  Pastor  to  the  Sisters  in  ad- 
dition to  my  regular  work,  and  this  might  go  on,  with 
occasional  help  from  other  pastors.  At  last,  however, 
he  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded  that  the  future  of 
the  Diaconate  absolutely  required  the  appointment  of  a 
house-pastor  (Rector),  and  in  the  first  regular  meeting 
of  the  newly  constituted  Board  of  Trustees,  February 
18,  1888,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  recommending  to  my 

*Dr.  Spaeth  had  practical  evidence  of  Frau  Oberin's  skill  and 
kindness,  when,  in  the  fall  of  1888  he  fractured  his  left  arm.  For 
some  time  after  the  splint  was  removed  the  Oberin  herself  applied 
massage  every  day,  and  then  taught  Mrs.  Spaeth  the  simpler  rudi- 
ments of  the  art,  so  that  the  treatment  could  be  continued  at  home. 


222  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

colleagues,  for  this  office,  Pastor  August  Cordes.  I 
had  made  his  personal  acquaintance  the  year  before, 
in  Germany.  He  had  been  the  assistant  of  Pastor 
Ninck,  had  married  a  former  deaconess,*  and  was,  in 
every  respect,  eminently  qualified  for  the  position.  He 
accepted  the  call  ....  and  at  the  dedication  of 
the  new  Motherhouse,  December  6,  1888,  was  installed 
by  me.  Dr.  Mann  had  delivered  the  festival  sermon. 
Dr.  Seiss  made  an  English  address.  For  the  installation 
the  text  was  chosen:  Joshua  21:  45.  There  failed  not 
aught  of  any  good  thing  which  the  Lord  had  spoken 
unto  the  house  of  Israel;  all  came  to  pass." 

Naturally  the  Pastor  of  St.  Johannis  and  the  Rector 
of  the  Deaconess  House,  having  many  common  tastes 
and  interests,  were  thrown  much  together,  and  intimate 
relations  were  soon  established  between  their  families. 
July  29,  1889,  was  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  Dr. 
Spaeth's  arrival  in  America.  Very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing Rector  Cordes,  with  a  choir  of  Sisters  gained  access 
to  the  yard  of  St.  Johannis'  parsonage,  and  sang  Loehe's 
hymn:  O  Gottes  Sohn;  to  which  Dr.  Spaeth  had  com- 
posed the  melody  a  few  years  before.  In  the  evening 
there  was  a  festival  supper  at  the  Deaconess  House,  with 
speeches  by  Rector  Cordes  and  the  guest  of  honor.  But 
the  celebration  ended  abruptly  and  tragically.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cordes  were  called  from  the  table  to  their  little 
Gottfried,  taken  suddenly  with  convulsions.  He  died 
that  night. 

One  most  important  result  of  the  appointment  of  Mr. 
Cordes  as  Rector  was  the  founding  of  the  school  for 
girls  in  1890.  From  the  beginning  Dr.  Spaeth  taught 
regularly  two  hours  every  week,  for  a  number  of  years, 
except   during  the   winter    1891-92,    when   he    was   in 

*  Mrs.  Cordes  had  been  a  personal  friend  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  sister, 
Mrs.  Pfatteicher,  and  she  first  made  the  suggestion  to  him,  of  Mr. 
Cordes'  fitness  for  the  position  to  which  he  was  eventually  called. 


THE  CHAUTAUQUA  CONFERENCE  223 

Capri.  His  department  in  the  first  year  was  general 
and  Church  history.  Later  he  gave  instruction  in 
Church  doctrine  and  hymnology.  In  September,  1899, 
when  the  enlarged  corps  of  efficient  teachers,  Sisters  and 
others,  made  his  services  no  longer  necessary,  he  re- 
signed this  work. 

In  July,  1890,  Dr.  Spaeth  was  sent  by  our  Mother- 
house  as  delegate  to  the  Inter-denominational  Conference 
for  the  Diaconate,  held  in  Chautauqua.  It  was  the  first, 
possibly  the  last  meeting  of  this  kind ;  at  least  it  was  the 
only  one  to  which  our  institution  sent  a  delegate.  Dr. 
Spaeth  prepared  a  paper,  of  course  in  English,  on 
Deaconesses  and  the  Sick,  which  was  published  later. 
His  half  amused  interest  in  Chautauqua  as  "absolutely 
characteristic  of  America"  was  stronger  than  his  sym- 
pathy for  the  doings  of  the  conference.  Originally  a 
Methodist  camp-meeting  ground,  beautifully  situated 
on  Lake  Chautauqua,  the  land  came  into  the  possession 
of  a  private  association,  which  founded  there  a  sort  of 
summer  academy.  For  six  weeks  in  July  and  August 
lectures  and  courses  of  instruction  on  every  possible 
subject  are  given  by  prominent  speakers  and  professors. 
"When  the  seminaries  and  colleges  close,  those  who 
are  athirst  for  knowledge  hasten  thither,  in  order,  among 
the  shadowy  woods  and  on  the  shores  of  the  lovely  lake, 
to  be  'coached'  in  any  department  of  knowledge,  and  to 
gallop  through  it  with  the  greatest  possible  rapidity.  In 
six  weeks  one  masters  all  the  difficulties  of  the  German, 
Latin,  Greek  or  Hebrew  language ;  one  becomes  at  home 
in  any  field  of  literature,  history  or  art.  It  is  a  World's 
Fair  of  everything  worth  knowing,  from  Christian 
Ethics  and  the  Old  Testament  prophets  down  to  wood- 
carving,  photography  and  cooking!" 

Among  the  speakers  at  the  Inter-denominational 
Deaconess  Conference  were  several  ladies.  Miss  Ban- 
croft was  perhaps  the  most  important  of  them.     She 


224  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

had  been  in  our  Motherhouse  and  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  whole  subject,  and  although  Dr.  Spaeth  could 
not  always  agree  with  her,  he  considered  her  one  of 
the  ablest  advocates  of  the  Diaconate  in  English  circles. 
With  Mrs.  Lucy  Rider  Meyer  he  was  less  in  sympathy. 
She  represented  the  Methodist  view  of  the  Deaconess  as 
above  all  an  Evangelist,  a  preacher  of  the  Word;  and 
not,  as  the  New  Testament  regards  her,  a  woman  conse- 
crated to  works  of  beneficence.  "My  meeting  with 
Bishop  Thoburn  of  India  and  his  sister  Miss  Thoburn 
has  been  of  special  interest  and  value  to  me  at  this  time, 
when  we  are  on  the  eve  of  starting  our  Zenana  work 
among  the  Telegus.  On  Thursday  morning  I  met,  by 
special  invitation,  with  the  Methodist  Conference  in 
the  interest  of  the  Deaconess  cause.  They  were  con- 
sidering their  Constitution,  and  I  hope  that  through 
my  influence,  some  important  features  were  modified. 
At  10.30  there  was  another  public  meeting  in  the  Philo- 
sophic Hall,  where  I  had  to  hold  forth,  in  company  with 
Miss  Bancroft  and  Bishop  Thoburn  on  the  platform, 
and  to  answer  questions  that  poured  in  from  all  sides. 
This  was  an  interesting,  and,  I  trust,  instructive  meeting. 
But  as  a  real  inter-denominational  convention,  I  am 
ready  to  say,  the  thing  was  a  failure,  though  Chautauqua 
was  a  neutral,  and  in  many  respects,  a  very  well  selected 
ground  for  such  a  meeting."  (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.)  In 
these  discussions  Dr.  Spaeth  had  ample  opportunity  to 
show  the  principles  on  which  our  work  rests,  and  to 
tell  the  assembly  what  had  proved  itself  sound  and 
worth  following  in  this  matter  ....  "and  was 
reminded  once  more  of  the  old  saying  at  Marburg:  Ye 
have  a  spirit  different  from  ours !" 

In  February,  1896,  a  formal  invitation  was  sent  out 
by  the  Philadelphia  Motherhouse  to  all  the  Lutheran 
Deaconess  houses  in  our  land,  to  unite  in  forming  a 
General  Conference  of  Lutheran  Deaconess  Houses  in 


THE  PASTORS— DEATH  OF  THE  OBERIN  225 

America,  whose  object  should  be  agreement  on  all  es- 
sential principles  of  the  Deaconess  work,  leaving  each 
house  free  in  the  management  of  its  internal  affairs. 
The  first  meeting  was  held  September  16th  to  18th  ia 
Philadelphia,  after  which  the  Conference  assembled 
biennially,  each  Motherhouse  being  represented  by  its 
Pastor,  Oberin  and  one  member  of  its  Board.  In  the 
discussion  of  papers  read  at  its  meetings  the  Conference 
found,  to  its  great  satisfaction,  that  all  the  houses  were 
of  one  mind  on  the  fundamental  principles.  Pastor 
Goedel  wrote  of  the  first  meeting:  "Without  an  elec- 
tion, as  a  matter  of  course,  Dr.  A.  Spaeth,  the  truest 
friend  of  the  Deaconesses,  the  one  who  knows  most 
about  the  subject,  was  named  as  Chairman,  and  we  who 
took  part  felt  it  a  special  grace  of  God,  that  such  a 
leader  was  vouchsafed  to  us."  Dr.  Spaeth  continued  to 
hold  this  office  at  all  the  subsequent  meetings  of  the 
Conference.  He  was  re-elected  at  the  eighth  conven- 
tion in  Omaha,  Neb.,  just  four  days  before  his  death. 

In  Pastor  Cordes  Dr.  Spaeth  had  found  a  most  con- 
genial friend,  and  deep  was  his  regret  when,  in  1892, 
the  Rector  felt  himself  compelled  to  lay  down  his  office. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Pastor  Carl  Goedel  who  was  in- 
stalled by  Dr.  Spaeth  July  8,  1893.  In  1904  Pastor 
Goedel  resigned,  but  consented  to  remain  two  years 
longer  on  account  of  difficulty  in  securing  a  successor. 
He  finally  sailed  for  Germany  in  June,  1906,  and  at 
the  anniversary  of  the  Motherhouse  in  October  of  that 
year,  the  installation  of  Rev.  E.  F.  Bachmann  took  place. 
Dr.  Spaeth  preached,  and  installed  the  new  Pastor. 

November  14,  1897,  Frau  Oberin  Wanda  von  Oertzen 
died  in  Bethanien,  Berlin,  and  in  January  Sister  Emilie 
Schwarz  was  installed  as  her  successor,  by  Pastor  Goedel. 
Dr.  Spaeth  made  the  address  and  emphasized  the  fact 
that  for  the  first  time  the  Oberin  was  elected  as  she 
should  be — from  the  ranks  of  the  deaconesses,  nomi- 


226  THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL 

nated  by  the  Board,  and  ratified  by  the  Sisters.  Sister 
Emilie  resigned  in  1901,  and  was  succeeded  by  Sister 
Magdalene  Steinmann.  In  1908  she  returned  to  Ger- 
many, and  Sister  Wilhelmine  Dittmann  was  appointed 
as  temporary  Oberin.  She  showed,  however,  such  ad- 
mirable fitness  for  the  position,  that  she  was  unanimously 
nominated  by  the  Board,  and  just  as  unanimously  elected 
by  the  Sisters,  as  Oberin,  and  installed  on  Easter  Sunday, 
1909. 

In  1885  the  Sisters  had  been  invited,  in  strictly 
apostolic  style,  two  by  two,  to  spend  a  short  time  in 
Dr.  Spaeth's  cottage  at  Cape  May  Point.  The  result 
of  their  nearer  acquaintance  with  the  Point  was  first  the 
renting  of  a  cottage  there  for  the  summer,  and  then  the 
building  of  the  commodious  Lankenau  Villa  in  1890. 
Not  only  were  the  Sisters  Mr.  Lankenau's  guests  there, 
but  a  most  open  handed  hospitality  was  practiced  toward 
our  clergymen  and  others,  and  every  summer,  during 
Dr.  Spaeth's  vacation,  cottage  services,  with  the  full 
liturgy,  were  held  by  him  in  the  parlors  of  the  villa.  In 
the  summer  of  1901  (August  30th)  Mr.  Lankenau  died. 
Dr.  Spaeth  conducted  the  funeral  services  in  the  house, 
and  preached  in  English  in  the  chapel  of  the  Mary  J. 
Drexel  Home,  from  the  text  Gen.  12:  1,  2,:  "And  I 
will  bless  thee     ....     and  thou  shalt  be  a  blessing." 

At  a  Fliedner  Memorial  Service  in  January,  1900, 
which  had  been  planned  by  the  Philadelphia  German 
Pastoral  Conference  in  connection  with  the  Mother- 
house,  and  which  was  held  in  St.  Johannis,  addresses 
were  made  by  Pastor  Goedel  and  Dr.  Spaeth.  The 
latter  used  as  his  theme  Fliedner's  motto:  He  must 
increase,  but  I  must  decrease.  He  referred  to  his  lecture 
on  Phebe  the  Deaconess,  delivered  fifteen  years  before 
in  Zion's,  when  the  Sisters  had  just  arrived  from  Iser- 
lohn.  At  that  time  he  could  speak  of  five  thousand 
sisters.      Since  then  the  number  has  increased  nearly 


DR.  SPAETH  AND  THE  DEACONESS  WORK       227 

threefold.  "In  our  own  Motherhouse  the  growth  has 
been  much  larger  in  proportion,  in  spite  of  the  difficulties 
with  which  we  have  had  to  contend, — six  sisters  then, 
seventy-one  now." 

The  estimate  placed  upon  Dr.  Spaeth  by  his  fellow 
workers  in  the  Deaconess  cause  is  thus  summed  up  in 
their  report  to  Synod  in  191 1:  "From  the  very  incep- 
tion of  the  Deaconess  work  in  Philadelphia  his  influence, 
more  than  that  of  any  other  man,  moulded  its  character 
and  guided  its  course.  His  broad  theological  training, 
combined  with  a  comprehensive  grasp  of  the  questions 
involved  in  practical  problems,  together  with  his  in- 
spiring enthusiasm,  made  him  the  welcome  counsellor 
of  Mr.  John  D.  Lankenau,  the  founder  of  our  institu- 
tion, and  his  tactful  insistence  on  all  that  is  essential 
to  the  spirit  and  life  of  a  truly  Lutheran  Motherhouse, 
has  placed  us  and  the  Church  under  lasting  obligation 
to  him." 


CHAPTER  X 

IN    THE   CHURCH    AT   LARGE 
1864-1910 

America,  thou  art  a  glorious  country!  If  a  man  does 
not  learn  usefully  to  employ  his  time  and  rationally 
to  spend  his  life  in  this  land  of  a  great  present  and 
a  miraculous  future,  he  is  lost  to  virtue.  But  true 
it  is,  that  whoever  will  not  be  active  in  this  country, 
might  as  well  be  off  the  stage. — Dr.  W.  J.  Mann. 

After  the  early  troubles  with  the  choir  in  St.  Johan- 
nis,  there  came  a  period  under  Mr.  Schnabel's  adminis- 
tration, and  for  a  number  of  years  after  his  death,  when 
Dr.  Spaeth  was  able  to  carry  out  his  ideas  of  church 
music  not  only  without  opposition,  but  with  the  intel- 
ligent and  enthusiastic  co-operation  of  his  singers.  All 
of  them  were  members  of  the  congregation,  most  of 
them  had  received  good  musical  training  in  the  parish 
school,  they  were  regular  in  their  attendance  at  rehear- 
sal, and  were  never  dismayed  by  any  difficulties,  though 
comparatively  few  of  them  read  music  at  sight.  "For 
St.  Johannis  and  our  Doctor !"  was  the  slogan  that  carried 
them  triumphantly  over  all  obstacles. 

THE  CHORAL  VESPER 

"In  order  to  open  the  ears  of  those  outside  of  our 
congregation  to  the  richness  and  fulness  of  our  church 
music,  I  arranged  from  time  to  time  a  so-called  'Choral 
Vesper.'  One  cannot  call  it  a  church  concert.  It  was 
always  planned  as  a  full  evening  service,  with  one  central 
thought  or  theme;  for  example,  the  Church  Year,  the 
228 


THE  CHORAL  VESPER  229 

Apostles'  Creed,  Easter,  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  (Advent 
to  Epiphany.)  The  choir  occupied  the  lower  platform 
of  the  chancel.  One  of  my  clerical  brethren  officiated 
as  liturge ;  for  accompanying  the  chorales,  the  organ  was 
supplemented  by  a  brass  quartette.  The  choir  sang  under 
my  direction.  Such  Choral  Vespers  were  repeatedly 
given  for  special  occasions,  at  meetings  of  Conference  in 
St.  Johannis,  for  our  Silver  Jubilee,  and  before  the  first 
Convocation  of  church  musicians. 

"The  most  successful  of  these  Choral  Vespers  was  that 
given  in  1885  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion, 
Broad  and  Arch  Streets,  in  connection  with  the  meeting 
of  the  General  Council.*  We  had  brought  together  a 
strong  choir  of  250  voices  from  our  German  congrega- 
tions, a  double  quartette  of  the  best  English  soloists,  and, 
for  intoning  the  very  ancient  Dies  irae,  a  number  of 
powerful  male  voices  from  the  German  singing  societies, 
all  under  the  direction  of  Pastor  Nidecker.  Mr.  Wall- 
baum,  the  organist  of  the  church,  presided  at  the  organ 
with  full  understanding  of  the  entire  program. f  The 
members  of  the  General  Council  sat  in  the  Chancel.  Dr. 
Laird  was  liturge,  and  read  the  Scripture  lessons.  The 
congregation,  about  1500  strong,  filled  every  portion  of 
the  church.  The  theme  was  the  Church  Year.  The  im- 
pression made  by  this  Vesper  service  was  overwhelming. 
My  dear  friend  Dr.  Mann,  who,  as  is  well  known,  did 
not  always  agree  with  me  in  liturgical  and  church-musical 

*  This  was  the  eighteenth  convention,  and  was  held  in  St.Johan- 
nis.  The  full  service  of  the  Kirchenbuch  was  used,  "with  such  a 
musical  flavor  as  is  to  be  expected  in  this  congregation,  and  very 
seldom  in  any  other."  (Local  Reporter.)  The  church  was  decorated 
with  flags  of  Lutheran  nationalities,  with  plants  and  flowers,  and 
in  the  background  the  figures  of  the  Worms  Monument,  which  had 
done  good  service  in  1883,  were  again  set  up  for  the  meeting  of 
Council. 

t  His  father  had  been  pastor  of  the  German  court  chapel  in 
London,  where  A.  S.  heard  a  liturgical  service  for  the  first  time. 


230  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

matters,  came  to  me  afterwards  in  great  emotion,  pressed 
my  hand  warmly  and  said:  If  that  is  not  a  success, 
what  more  do  you  want?'  " 

The  church  papers,  English  and  German,  were  un- 
stinted in  their  recognition  of  this  Choral  Vesper,  not  only 
as  a  most  impressive  presentation  of  Lutheran  church 
music,  but  as  of  great  value  in  showing  what  can  be  done 
with  the  sort  of  material  that  every  earnest  congregation 
may  find  within  itself.  Dr.  Jacobs  wrote:  "The  choruses 
by  two  hundred  and  fifty  trained  singers  under  Rev.  E. 
Nidecker,  quartettes  and  congregational  singing  alter- 
nated with  the  highest  artistic  effect.  Every  detail  of  the 
complicated  scheme  depended  for  its  success  largely  upon 
the  industry,  patience,  enthusiasm,  tact  and  thorough 
musical  and  liturgical  taste  and  training  of  Dr.  Spaeth. 
.  .  .  Throughout  the  whole  program  with  its  thirty-three 
parts,  the  attention  of  the  audience  was  most  earnest,  and 
never  flagged.  The  themes  were  so  serious  that  this  in 
itself  was  remarkable.  But  as  progress  was  made 
through  the  depths  of  our  Lord's  Passion  to  the  triumph 
of  His  Resurrection,  and  the  realities  of  what  is  yet  to 
come,  in  the  Dies  irae  and  'Jerusalem  du  hochgebaute 
Stadt',  with  the  massive  walls  of  the  church  seeming  to 
vibrate  under  the  volume  of  song,  many  of  the  audience 
scarcely  knew  whether  they  were  in  the  body  or  out  of 
it. 

"The  great  significance  of  the  Choral  Vesper,  however, 
was  not  in  the  temporary  enjoyment  which  it  afforded. 
It  was  an  exhibition  of  the  solidity,  earnestness  and  gran- 
deur of  our  Lutheran  faith,  as  it  expresses  itself  in  music. 
As  Lutheranism  manifests  its  distinctive  characteristics 
not  in  a  few  points  of  doctrine,  as  some  think,  but  per- 
vades the  whole  system,  and  gives  a  different  cast  and 
shading  to  those  doctrines  in  which  there  may  be  a  super- 
ficial agreement  with  others, as  it  has  a  mode 

of  preaching  and  service,  peculiarly  its  own,  as  the  na- 


THE  LUTHER  JUBILEE  231 

tural  utterance  of  its  distinctive  life,  so  also  with  its 
music,  the  language  of  impassioned  thought  and  feeling. 
How  inconsistent  with  a  service  rendered  in  such  music 
would  be  many  of  the  errors  and  abuses  which,  at  times, 
have  led  our  people  astray!" 

In  an  article  on  the  "Ideal  Lutheran  Service  of  Song" 
Dr.  Ohl  gives  the  program  in  full  and  adds:  "Here 
there  was  an  opportunity  to  hear  and  to  learn,  such  as 
does  not  often  present  itself;  and  I  feel  safe  in  saying 
that  to  most  of  those  present  the  program  as  rendered 
was  a  revelation.  No  one,  however  accustomed  to 
modern  musical  forms,  could  escape  the  overpowering 
impression  that  this  was  pure  worship-music,  music 
free  from  secular  suggestion,  music  that  can  be  used 
only  in  the  service  of  the  Church  and  for  no  other  pur- 
pose, music  that  begets  devotion  where  devotion  does 

not  exist If  it  be  said  that  congregations 

will  not  take  to  it,  and  that  it  can  be  sung  only  by  skilled 
choirs,  I  point  to  the  results  achieved  in  St.  Johannis 
church  of  Philadelphia,  and  to  the  fact  that  the  chorus 
at  the  Choral  Service  was  composed  of  singers,  most  of 
whom  do  not  even  read  music,  and  that  with  material 
of  this  kind  the  entire  program  was  learned  in  ten 
separate  and  one  general  rehearsal." 

THE  LUTHER  JUBILEE 

"The  treasures  of  church  music  which  had  become 
household-words  in  St.  Johannis  were  also  used  now 
and  then,  outside  of  our  own  four  walls,  as  suggestion 
and  stimulus  to  others,  or  for  their  edification.  The 
Luther  celebration,  November  10,  1883,  for  which  I 
made  the  program,  was  planned  in  every  respect  after 
the  pattern  of  our  St.  Johannis  Sunday  school  festivals, 
of  course  on  a  vastly  enlarged  scale.  Five  hundred 
children  in  the  parquet  of  the  Academy  of  Music  repre- 


232  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

sented  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  General  Council  in 
Philadelphia,  nine  per  cent,  of  all  the  scholars,  chosen 
with  reference  to  their  ability  to  sing.  On  the  stage  a 
mixed  choir  of  four  hundred  and  fifty,  among  them  one 
hundred  and  twelve  singers  from  St.  Johannis,  was 
placed  at  the  foot  of  an  artistic  representation  of  the 
Worms  Monument.  Between  the  choir  and  the  children 
was  the  orchestra  of  fifty  instruments  directed  by 
Charles  Schmitz.  Besides  these  thousand  participants 
an  audience  of  about  two  thousand  also  became  'active' 
in  the  chorales.  Our  good  director  had  several  times 
expressed  his  conviction  that  my  program  contained  too 
many  chorales  for  the  congregation,  and  he  did  not 
wish  in  any  way  to  be  responsible  for  these  numbers. 
He  thought  otherwise  when,  after  the  fine  addresses 
of  Dr.  Mann  and  Dr.  Krotel,  we  began  'Ein  feste  Burg'. 

.  .  .  .  The  whole  audience  had  risen  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  chairman,  and  stood  like  walls  from  one 
gallery  to  another.  It  was  one  tone,  one  soul.  The  full 
orchestra    played    with    all    its    strength,    but    it    was 

swallowed  up I  can  still  see  the  director 

as  he  glanced  at  me,  absolutely  overpowered,  and  then 
laid  down  his  baton,  letting  this  Niagara  of  sound,  un- 
controllable, and  needing  no  control,  rush  and  roar 
whither  it  would.  Tt  made  my  hair  stand  on  end!'  he 
said  afterwards."  The  official  report  of  the  celebration 
pronounced  it  a  festival  such  as  our  Church  here  had 
never  had.  An  hour  like  this  cannot  be  made  by  any 
forethought  or  preparation.  It  must  come  as  a  gift 
from  above. 

"I  myself  had  reason  to  accept  this  festival  as  a 
special  gift  of  the  goodness  and  grace  of  my  God. 
After  I  had  spent  all  summer,  as  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee, planning,  working,  preparing,  rehearsing,  I 
caught  a  heavy  cold  shortly  before  the  celebration.  My 
voice  was  entirely  gone,  and  it  looked  as  if  I  would  be 


THE  LUTHER  JUBILEE  233 

confined  to  my  room,  if  not  to  my  bed,  on  that  day  to 
which  I  was  looking  forward  so  eagerly.  The  night 
before  I  prayed  earnestly:  'If  it  is  not  Thy  will  that 
I  can  be  there,  and  take  part,  only  grant  Thy  presence, 
and  Thy  blessing.  Make  it  a  success,  to  the  praise  and 
honor  of  Thy  Name.  Do  as  Thou  wilt  with  me.'  And 
I  was  permitted  to  go  and  to  read  as  part  of  the  pro- 
gram the  well-known  passage  from  Luther's  'Introduc- 
tion to  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans'  on  faith  as  the  divine 
work  in  us."  The  fitting  and  beautiful  response  to  this 
passage  was  the  recitation,  by  the  children  from  the 
German  schools,  of  Luther's  explanation  of  the  Second 
Article  of  the  Creed.  "Of  course  my  voice  was  no 
trumpet  tone,  as  I  would  gladly  have  had  it  for  that 
day.  And  I  could  not  sing,  which  was  a  grievous  depri- 
vation. But  I  could  only  say:  'Be  still  my  heart !  Be 
thankful  that  you  can  be  here.'  " 

Of  the  Luther  Jubilee  the  Diary  records:  "The 
enthusiasm  was  great,  and  equally  so  was  the  disappoint- 
ment of  those,  who,  in  their  contemptuous  indifference 
to  the  contemplated  festival,  had  kept  away  from  it. 
During  the  whole  time  of  preparation  the  apathy  of 
our  English  congregations  grieved  me.  But  still  we 
were  able  to  hand  over  to  the  Treasurer  of  Synod  $1,000 
for  the  proposed  Seminary  building."  Somewhat  later 
Dr.  Schmauk  wrote:  "It  is  very  surprising  that  the 
'representative  paper'  of  our  Church  has  barely  recog- 
nized the  grandest  and  most  glorious  united  public 
demonstration  that  our  Church  in  Philadelphia  has  made 
for  years.  Its  account  was  'clipped'  from  a  notoriously 
unfriendly  source,  though  there  were  scores  of  our  own 
most  competent  writers  present.  About  one-fourth  of 
the  festival  account  itself  consists  of  Bishop  Stevens' 
letter  of  regrets.  The  peculiar  features  of  the  program, 
the  very  things  that  made  it  appropriate,  are  not  given. 
Dr.  Mann's  great  address  is  reported  in  two  lines,  and, 


234  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

above  all,  the  originator  of  the  whole  festival,  the 
leading  spirit  both  in  planning  and  executing,  together 
with  the  peculiar  part  of  the  program  assigned  to  him, 
is  wholly  ignored." 

In  addition  to  the  various  Luther  celebrations  in 
which  Dr.  Spaeth  took  a  prominent  part  in  Philadelphia, 
he  was  called  on  for  addresses  in  other  cities.  In 
Newark  he  used  the  fine  Vivit  Lutherus*  which  had 
been  delivered  at  the  Luther  Jubilee  of  the  New  York 
Synod,  and  at  the  main  celebration  in  St.  Johannis.  A 
few  days  afterwards  he  received  from  friends  in 
Newark  a  large  framed  engraving  of  Labouchere's  Burn- 
ing of  the  Bull,  which  was  long  the  chief  ornament  of 
the  Lutherhalle  in  his  Mt.  Airy  home,  and  is  now  in 
the  Luther  room  of  the  Krauth  Memorial  Library. 

THE  LUTHERFESTSPIEL 

"As  early  as  the  sixteenth  century  the  heroic  figure 
of  Luther  was  made  the  subject  of  dramas,  some  of 
which  were  revived  in  1883,  when  a  great  number  of 
new  plays  were  published,  all  of  them  requiring  stage- 
setting  and  professional  actors.  .  .  .  The  Luther- 
festspiel  of  Hans  Herrig  (Berlin,  1883),  which  was  first 
given  in  Worms,  is  of  an  entirely  different  character. 
It  requires  no  special  stage  with  shifting  of  scenes,  and 
is  not  intended  for  professional  players.  .  .  .  The 
Herald  and  the  City  Councillor,  who  are  placed  on  an 
extension  of  the  platform,  represent  the  old  and  the 
new  era,  and  give,  in  dialogue,  a  running  history  of 
the  Reformation.  Only  now  and  then  the  curtain  opens, 
disclosing  tableaux  in  which  the  principal  scenes  of  the 
drama  are  presented:  Luther  in  his  cell,  as  Confessor 

*  Several  years  later,  taking  this  theme  for  a  Reformation  ad- 
dress in  an  English  church,  he  was  somewhat  astonished  to  hear 
the   frank  criticism:   "Too  much   Luther!" 


THE  LUTHERFESTSPIEL  235 

with  his  students,  discussing  Tetzel's  letters  of  Indulg- 
ence, Luther  and  Staupitz,  Burning  the  Bull,  Worms, 
the  Wartburg,  the  storm  of  the  fanatics  and  peasants, 
and  lastly  the  lovely  family  group,  Luther  in  his  home 
circle    with  his  lute  and  the  sweet  evening  hymn  for 
children      ....     In  the  winter  of    1890  to   1891 
our  Lutherverein  wished  to  take  up  something  special, 
and  while  we  were  considering  various   concert  pro- 
grams, etc.,  our  organist,  Mr.  Otto  Roth,  spoke  of  this 
play    in  which  he  had  taken  part  in  Germany,  and  of 
the  wonderful  impression  made  by  it.    We  decided  then 
to  go  to  work.     To  be  sure,  for  the  dramatis  personae 
we  had  not  the  necessary  material  in  St.  Johannis.     We 
could  only  undertake  the  musical  part,  but  we  could 
make  that  far  richer  and  more  comprehensive  than  it 
had  been  in  any  German  rendering.     For  the  play  itself 
I  was  obliged  to  seek  assistance  among  our  Seminary 
students,  where  my  friend  Ludwig,  with  his  sound  judg- 
ment and  his  personal  acquaintance  with  the  men,  was 
a  great  help  to  me.     Frequent  rehearsals  were  held  all 
winter  both  in  the  Seminary  and  in  St.  Johannis.     We 
selected  for  the  choir  many  treasures  of  church  music 
not  contemplated  in  Herrig's  original,  which  provided 
only  chorales  for  the  congregation.    At  the  beginning  a 
fine  chorus  from  Meinardus'  Oratorio  'Der  Gang  nach 
Worms,'  was  sung  with  instrumental  accompaniment, 
Rector  Cordes  and  Sister  Magdalene  Steinmann  taking 
two  of  the  solo  parts  provided  by  Meinardus.     At  the 
end  was  a  chorus  from  Haendel's  'Judas  Maccabaeus;' 
the  tableaux  were  interspersed  with  folk-songs  from  the 
sixteenth  century,  such  as  'Wachet  auf ,'  'Aus  tiefer  Not,' 
'Hilf,  Herr  mein  Gott,'  and  three  chorales  were  sung  by 
the  congregation,  'Ein  feste  Burg'  following  the  scene 
at   Worms."      For   this   American   production    of    the 
Festspiel  Dr.  Spaeth  wrote  a  new  Epilogue  showing  how 
Luther's  influence  had  spread  beyond  the  narrow  con- 


236  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

fines  of  the  German  tongue  and  land,  how  in  spite  of 
the  persecution  in  England,  Scandinavia  had  kept  Lu- 
ther's doctrine  alive,  and  had  sent  Gustavus  Adolphus 
to  the  help  of  Germany  in  its  greatest  need,  and  how  in 
this  new  Western  World,  discovered  when  Luther  was 
a  school  boy  of  nine  years,  and  largely  settled  and  culti- 
vated by  German  thrift,  Luther's  doctrine,  his  Bible,  his 
Catechism,  his  hymns,  had  not  been  left  behind,  but 
had  become  an  abiding  influence  here  for  good.  "There- 
fore, Luther-folk,  hold  fast  to  thy  faith,  that  no  man 
take  thy  crown."  "If  anyone  had  doubted  how  this  play 
would  be  received,  one  glance  at  the  audience  of  twelve 
hundred  would  have  set  aside  all  misgivings.  From  be- 
ginning to  end  there  was  not  only  a  strained  attention, 
but  even  a  feeling  of  devotion,  and  with  all  the  deep 
satisfaction  written  on  every  face,  there  was  never  an 
attempt  to  lower  the  character  of  the  evening  by  noisy 
applause.  In  this  respect  the  Festspiel  stood  far  above 
the  Jubilee  in  the  Academy  in  1883.  As  the  closing 
chorale  died  away,  the  whole  assembly  stood  for  a 
moment  as  in  silent  prayer,  or  as  if  waiting  to  be  dis- 
missed with  the  benediction 

"Of  course  the  play  was  not  carried  through  without 
some  fault-finding  and  opposition.  Certain  gentlemen 
in  the  Seminary  Board  were  of  the  opinion  that  such 
a  play  was  not  proper  for  students  of  theology,  and  I 
heard  here  and  there  disquieting  rumors  of  a  protest 
against  it,  to  be  sent  either  to  the  authorities  of  the 
Seminary  or  to  Synod.  .  .  .  The  evening  of  the 
third  of  March  came.  Just  as  I  left  my  house  to  go 
down  into  the  city  and  assume  the  direction  of  the 
musical  portion  of  the  Festspiel,  the  letter-carrier  handed 
me  a  large  official  envelope,  that  evidently  came  from 
the  President  of  Synod.  I  could  imagine  that  possibly 
a  protest  against  our  play  might  be  in  it.  But  what 
could  I  do  with  it  at  that  late  hour?     The  tickets  were 


PRINZ  EUGEN  DER  EDLE  RITTER  237 

sold,  the  house  filled  with  an  eagerly  expectant  audience. 
Could  we  send  them  home?  I  knew  there  was  no  re- 
treat; I  must  go  through  with  it  now,  come  what  may. 
So  I  quietly  stuck  the  formidable  document  in  my  pocket, 
and  decided  to  read  it  after  we  were  through.  I  com- 
forted myself  with  Prince  Eugen  the  noble  Knight,  who 
often  found  himself  compelled  to  pocket  dispatches  from 
the  war  department  in  Vienna,  until  he  had  fought  his 
battle  and  won  his  victory.  I  must  fight,  must  win, 
even  if  I  brought  a  censure  on  myself.  But  nothing 
happened.  I  could  truthfully  say  to  the  President  that 
his  protest  (for  that  was  really  what  the  envelope  con- 
tained) had  come  too  late!  The  profit  on  the  play, 
quite  a  considerable  sum,  was  divided  evenly  between 
the  Orphans'  Home  and  the  Seminary,  and — no  one 
protested !" 

The  Diary  says:  "The  widespread  desire  for  a  second 
presentation  of  the  Lutherfestspiel  could  not  be  gratified 
on  account  of  the  protest  of  the  English  Lutheran 
pastors  against  it.  On  the  other  hand  the  play  was 
given  in  English  in  a  Presbyterian  church!"  Nine 
months  afterwards,  in  Capri,  he  writes:  "From  Mr.  L. 
W.  I  received  the  curious  program  for  an  evening  enter- 
tainment by  the Association,  in  the  solemn  Advent 

Season,  in  which  'Cleopatra,'  'The  dancing  Girl,'  etc., 
are  offered  for  the  edification  of  our  young  Lutherans. 
And,  unlike  our  Lutherfestspiel,  it  seems  this  entertain- 
ment moved  no  censor  to  enter  protest  against  it !" 

LUTHER    MEMORIAL   SERVICE 

This  service,  held  in  the  Academy  of  Music  on  Ash 
Wednesday,  February  19,  1896,  was  first  suggested  by 
the  Pastoral  Association,  who  laid  their  plans  before 
the  Social  Union,  and  secured  its  co-operation  at  once. 
Dr.   Spaeth  was  Chairman  of   the  General   Committee 


238  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

and  had  the  selection  of  the  music.  Pastor  Nidecker 
again  drilled  the  choir.  In  the  appointment  of  speakers 
there  was  no  distinction  between  General  Council  and 
General  Synod. 

As  at  the  Luther  Jubilee  thirteen  years  before,  an 
immense  throng  of  Lutherans  again  filled  the  Academy 
to  overflowing.  Mr.  William  H.  Staake,  President  of 
the  Social  Union  acted  as  Chairman.  The  English 
speakers  were  Dr.  Charles  S.  Albert  and  Dr.  Henry  E. 
Jacobs.  Dr.  Spaeth  made  the  German  address.  The 
opening  chorale  was  "Jehovah,  Thee  to  praise,"  which 
had  been  written  for  the  Jubilee,  but  for  this  occasion 
was  given  in  both  languages  on  the  program,  the 
German  text  being  a  translation  by  Dr.  Spaeth.  The 
Responsory,  sung  in  Latin,  was  the  beautiful  Ecce, 
qaomodo  morititr  Justus  (Behold  how  the  righteous 
dieth)  by  Jacob  Gallus,  1591.  These  words  formed  the 
text  of  the  funeral  address  of  Michael  Coelius,  on 
February  20,  1546,  immediately  before  the  procession 
started,  which  conveyed  Luther's  body  from  Eisleben 
to  Wittenberg. 

After  the  singing  of  Tennyson's  "Crossing  the  Bar," 
to  the  exquisite  music  composed  for  the  poet's  funeral 
by  Dr.  J.  Fredk.  Bridges,  Dr.  Spaeth  began  his  address 
with  a  reference  to  the  Luther  Jubilee,  to  the  elaborate 
stage  decoration,  to  the  festive  array  and  richly  colored 
banners  of  the  children,  to  the  dates  1483,  1883,  in 
figures  of  flame.  "Today  our  celebration  is  of  a  simpler, 
more  earnest  character.  Not  by  the  cradle  of  the  little 
Martin,  but  at  the  deathbed  and  beside  the  coffin  of  the 
great  warrior  do  we  stand,  in  spirit,  today.  But  whether 
it  is  Luther  in  the  cradle  or  Luther  in  the  coffin,  his 
name  still  possesses  its  old  power,  its  old  magnetism.  I 
need  not  ask  whether  we  did  well  and  wisely  in  arranging 
a  joint  celebration  in  memory  of  his  death  three  hundred 


LUTHER  MEMORIAL  SERVICE  239 

and  fifty  years  ago,  and  in  holding  it  in  this  house.* 
You  have  given  the  answer,  you  who  have  flocked 
together  to  bear  witness  to  your  love  and  reverence  for 
our  dear  Father  Luther.  Why  should  we  not  be  free 
to  hold  this  memorial  service,  when  we  have  before  us 
the  plain  admonition  of  Scripture:  'Remember  them 
which  have  the  rule  over  you,  who  have  spoken  unto 
you  the  word  of  God:  whose  faith  follow,  considering 
the  end  of  their  conversation.'  We  are  here  today  to 
remember  him,  who,  more  than  any  other,  has  spoken 
unto  us  the  word  of  God,  pure  and  clean,  the  Word 
and  nothing  but  the  Word;  and  we  are  also  here  to 
consider  his  end,  when,  after  almost  superhuman  labor 
and  struggle  and  conflict,  he  departed  in  peace  to  his 
Saviour." 

Dr.  Spaeth  spoke  of  the  savage  attacks  on  Luther, 
alive  and  dead,  which  were  renewed  as  the  contribution 
of  his  enemies  to  the  Jubilee  in  1883.  He  gave  the 
circumstances  under  which  Luther  left  Wittenberg, 
January  23,  1546,  and  described  his  death  in  Eisleben, 
February  18th,  and  the  funeral  ceremonies  there  and  in 
Wittenberg,  February  19th  to  22d.  He  dwelt  on  the 
simple,  natural  scenes  at  this  deathbed,  in  contrast  to 
the  legends  of  saints,  and  to  the  dramatic  end  of  Zwingli 
on  the  battlefield.  "It  may  well  be  that  the  absent 
friends  of  Luther  were  disappointed  when  they  read 
the  account  of  Jonas  and  Coelius,  by  the  homely  details 
of  this  dying  hour.  The  man  who  so  often  had  stared 
Death  and  Devil  in  the  face  with  dauntless  scorn,  suffers 
now  the  natural  human  dread  of  dying.  He  who  had 
so  long  looked  forward  to  this  hour,  who  was  so  well 
prepared  for  it,  who  had  so  often  prayed  for  it,  makes 
no  secret  of  his  shrinking  and  anxiety  now  that  it  has 
really  come.     He  who  could  expound  the  word  of  God 

*Both  questions  had  been  raised  when  the  plan  first  took  shape. 


240  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

so  wonderfully,  who  could  so  edify  and  strengthen  the 
hearts  of  his  hearers,  has  nothing  more  to  say,  .  .  . 
no  long  testimony,  no  final  bequest,  no  further  instruc- 
tions for  his  friends.  All  is  comprised  in  the  single, 
brief  'Yes'  with  which  he  confesses  his  faith,  in  answer 
to  the  question  of  Jonas  and  Coelius.  The  absolute 
honesty  which  had  characterized  Luther  in  life,  remained 
with  him  in  his  last  hour.  There  was  no  'posing,'  no 
'attitude.'  He  had  lived  for  others.  He  died  for  him- 
self alone.  His  soul  withdrew  from  the  outside  world. 
His  chief  concern  now  was  that  he  himself,  as  a  poor 
sinner,  might  be  saved  by  the  grace  of  his  Redeemer." 

THE  LEIPZIG  QUARTETTE 

In  the  fall  of  1900  Dr.  Spaeth  was  greatly  interested 
in  a  series  of  concerts,  which  had  kept  him  very  busy 
for  months,  although  he  neither  made  the  programs  nor 
led  the  singing.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Philadelphia 
German  Conference  held  in  St.  Johannis,  January  16, 
1900,  Pastor  Wischan  reported  that  he  had  been  in  cor- 
respondence with  the  Leipzig  Solo-quartette  for  church 
music,  with  the  warm  approval  of  the  President  of  the 
Conference,  Dr.  Spaeth,  and  that  the  singers  were 
willing  to  come  to  America  in  the  fall  for  a  concert  tour. 
They  were  already  well  known  throughout  Christian 
Europe.  The  plan  was  at  once  accepted,  and  the  Presi- 
dent was  asked  to  appoint  a  Central  Committee  to  take 
the  matter  in  hand. 

On  the  eighth  of  October  the  Solo-quartette  landed  in 
New  York,  and  on  the  eleventh  their  first  concert  was 
given  in  that  city  in  St.  Mark's  church,  at  the  Convoca- 
tion of  Lutheran  Church  Musicians.  The  program  was: 
"Master  Singers  of  Evangelical  Church  Music."  In  an 
article  written  for  the  Berliner  Reichsbote  of  November 
9,  1900,  Dr.  Spaeth  speaks  of  the  masterly  way  in  which 


THE  LEIPZIG  QUARTETTE  241 

Herr  Kantor  Roethig  arranges  his  programs,  particu- 
larly noticeable  in  the  one  presented  before  the  Convoca- 
tion.      On    the    following    Sunday    they    arrived    in 
Philadelphia,    appearing    in    the    choir    gallery    of    St. 
Johannis  near  the  conclusion  of  the  morning  service. 
At  Dr.  Spaeth's  half  apologetic  request  they  came  down 
to  the  chancel,  in  their  travelling  dress,  and  sang  our 
familiar  "Ich  will  Dich  lieben,"— but  as  we  had  never 
heard  it  sung  before!     On  Monday  the  first  concert  in 
Philadelphia  was  given  in  St.    Johannis.     The  program, 
"Bethlehem  to  Golgotha,"   was  incorporated  with  the 
usual  Vesper  service,   Pastor  Goedel  acting  as  liturge 
and  intoning  the  minister's  part.    After  each  number  of 
the  program  a  Scripture  lesson  was  read,  leading  over 
to   the  next.      "It  was   right  that  the   first  concert  in 
Philadelphia  should  be  given  in  St.  Johannis,  for  here, 
almost  exclusively,  the  old  church  music  has  been  culti- 
vated    ....     and  masterly  as  was  the  interpreta- 
tion of  newer  compositions  by  the  Quartette,  the  old 
settings   plainly   surpassed   them   in   text,    rhythm   and 
harmony.     If  only  our  choirs  and  congregations  retain 
the  enthusiasm   for  the  old  church  music,   which   the 
Leipzig  Ouartette  has  aroused  in  all  intelligent  hearers! 
We  have  only  heard  a  few  selections  from  the  great 
musical  treasures  of  our  Church.     It  will  well  repay  us 
to  use  more  of  them."     (Kirchenbote.)  * 

"Their  conception  and  presentation  of  the  old  Masters, 
even  for  those  who  are  in  some  degree  acquainted  with 
them,  are  suggestive  and  inspiring  in  the  highest  degree. 

*  "Their  singing,  quite  apart  from  the  pleasure  it  gives  to  all 
their  audiences,  is  most  especially  a  vindication  for  me,  and  of  the 
church  music  which,  for  twenty-five  years,  I  have  defended  and 
cultivated.  Now,  at  last,  our  organists  begin  to  ask  about  the 
source  of  this  music.  'Cannot  we  also  procure  it?'  So  long  as 
it  was  only  heard  in  St.  Johannis,  they  gave  it  the  cold  shoulder, 
or  even  treated  it  with  scorn !"— ( Diary.) 


242  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

They  are  correct  in  calling  themselves  a  Solo-quartette. 
Their  singing  is  not  that  of  the  massive  church  choir, 
but  of  highly  cultivated  solo  singers,  .  .  .  although, 
in  the  wonderful  combination  of  the  four  voices,  the 
distinctive  personality  effaces  itself,  lost  in  the  grand 
unit  of  the  ancient  music.  The  very  heart  of  their  ar- 
tistic production  is  and  remains  the  genuineness  of  it  all ; 
that  is,  the  deep  devotion  with  which  they  feel  and  believe 
and  confess  what  their  lips  are  singing. 

"Acoustically,  the  singers  have  to  contend  with  difficul- 
ties here  which  they  scarcely  knew  in  the  old  world. 
The  churches  in  which  the  concerts  are  held,  are  very 
small  in  comparison  with  those  in  Europe,  and  their 
heavy  carpets  muffle  and  injure  the  tone.  The  Quartette 
miss  the  mighty  stone  structure  of  European  churches. 
Their  voices  were  heard  at  their  best  when  they  sang 
'Christ  ist  erstanden'  and  'Ein  feste  Burg'  on  the  wide, 
vaulted  marble  staircase  of  the  Deaconess  House  in 
Philadelphia,  whose  guests  they  were."  (A.  S.  in 
Berliner  Reichsbote.) 

More  than  fifty  concerts  were  given  during  the 
American  tour,  which  extended  as  far  west  as  Mil- 
waukee. Shortly  before  the  singers  sailed  for  home, 
they  visited  Washington  with  Dr.  Spaeth  and  other  mem- 
bers of  the  central  committee,  and  were  cordially  wel- 
comed by  President  McKinley.  On  top  of  the  National 
Monument,  550  feet  above  the  city,  they  sang  "Die 
gueldene  Sonne,"  and  afterwards,  under  the  great  dome 
of  the  Capitol,  gave  two  of  their  most  effective  songs, 
while  an  immense  throng  gathered  about  them  with  un- 
covered heads,  and  listened  in  deep  silence  to  the  glorious 
music.  Four  days  later,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Spaeth  as 
far  as  New  York,  they  embarked  on  the  steamer  Lahn. 
The  members  of  the  Leipzig  Quartette,  founded  in  1885 
for  the  resuscitation  of  Evangelical  church  music  in 
Germany,  were  Herr  Kantor  Bruno  Roethig   (tenor), 


THE  FIRST  CONVOCATION  243 

Frau  Clara  Roethig  (soprano),  Fraeulein  Hedwig  Risch 
(alto),  and  Herr  Eugen  Tannewitz  (bass).  The  re- 
ceipts from  their  concerts,  after  expenses  were  covered, 
were  always  given  for  benevolent  purposes. 

CONVOCATION  OF  CHURCH   MUSICIANS 

At  the  session  of  the  General  Council  in  Erie,  Pa., 

1897,  a  resolution  was  passed  recommending  that  organ- 
ists, singing  teachers  and  pastors  interested  in  church 
music  should  come  together  once  a  year  "in  order  to 
present  and  discuss  questions  connected  with  the  ren- 
dering of  the  Lutheran  service  and  church  music  in 
general,  that  the  same  may  be  raised  to  a  higher  and 
more  uniform  standard,  and  that  the  musical  treasures 
of  our  Church  may  be  more  widely  known."  A  Com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  carry  out  this  idea,  with  Dr. 
Spaeth  as  Chairman.  He  presided  at  every  subsequent 
meeting  of  the  Convocation.     On  Wednesday,  June  1, 

1898,  just  before  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniver- 
sary of  the  Mother  Synod,  the  first  Convocation  of 
Church  Musicians  was  called  in  the  church  of  the  Holy 
Communion,  then  at  Broad  and  Arch  Streets,  Philadel- 
phia. At  the  morning  session  three  papers  were  read: 
"Sunday  school  music  in  its  relation  to  the  service  of 
the  Church,"  "The  Organ,"  and  "The  Sphere  of  the 
Choir  in  the  service."  In  the  afternoon  the  Morning 
service  according  to  the  Church  Book  with  Music  was 
held,  and  instead  of  a  sermon  there  were  two  addresses: 
"The  historical  Development  of  the  Lutheran  Morning 
Service,"  by  Dr.  E.  T.  Horn,  and,  "The  Idea  underlying 
the  Lutheran  Main  Service,"  by  Dr.  Spaeth.  In  the  even- 
ing the  Convocation  closed  with  a  Choral  Vesper,  the 
theme  being  the  Creed.  This  was  given  in  St.  Johannis, 
Dr.  Spaeth  directing  his  choir,  who  were  assisted  by 
some  of  the  students  from  the  Seminary. 


244  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

At  the  second  Convocation  in  Pittsburgh,  1899,  Dr. 
Spaeth  spoke  on  the  subject,  "What  is  Church  Music?" 
The  musical  feature  of  this  year  was  the  Vesper  Service 
as  rendered  by  the  fine  choir  of  the  "First  Church." 
In  1900  at  St.  Mark's  in  New  York,  the  Leipzig  Quar- 
tette made  their  first  appearance,  before  the  Convocation. 
Dr.  Spaeth's  topic  was,  "The  Pastor  and  the  Organist." 
In  1901  the  Convocation  met  for  the  fourth  time,  in 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  the  music  was  again  supplied  by 
the  choir  of  the  First  Church  in  Pittsburgh.  One  ses- 
sion was  held  in  the  Temple  of  Music,  at  the  Pan- 
American  Exposition,  on  the  afternoon  of  October  8th, 
where  "Ein  feste  Burg"  was  sung.  Dr.  Spaeth  spoke 
on  "Music  in  the  Lutheran  Church,"  and  again,  in  the 
evening,  on  "Choir  Music  of  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth centuries."  Of  this  meeting  in  Buffalo  he  writes: 
"The  Matin  Service  and  the  Vespers  were  most  beauti- 
fully rendered  by  the  Pittsburgh  choir,  Mr.  Rees  acting 
as  Liturge  and  singing  everything,  including  lessons  and 
collects.  He  did  it  admirably.  It  was  of  greatest  in- 
terest to  me  to  hear  our  whole  service  rendered  exactly 
in  the  way  which  was  provided  in  our  old  Cantionale, 
and  even  in  such  modern  books  as  the  Mecklenburg  Can- 
tionale and  Schoeberlein,  but  this  form  of  intoning 
Lessons  and  Collects  will  never  become  popular  again  in 
our  Church.  My  interest  in  it  is  chiefly  an  archaeological 
one. 

"Our  gathering  in  the  Music  Temple,  from  two  to 
four,  was  also  quite  a  success.  When  we  sang  'Ein  feste 
Burg'  immediately  before  my  address,  we  had  about 
fifteen  hundred  people  there.  .  .  .  The  Lutherans 
are  the  only  denomination  who  have  come  to  the  front 
in  this  manner  in  connection  with  the  exposition.  You 
can  imagine  that  looking  down  on  the  spot  where  the 
President  was  assassinated,  I  made  good  use  of  the  battle 
hymn  of  the  Reformation  in  my  address,   and   closed 


BACH,  MILTON,  PALESTRINA  245 

with  the  hope  and  prayer  that  the  day  would  not  be 
distant  when  it  would  be  the  common  property  of  all 
American  Christians."     (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.) 

The  fifth  Convocation  was  held  in  Allentown,  June 
10,  1908,  with  Dr.  Spaeth  in  the  chair  for  the  last  time. 
He  had  been  requested  to  "tackle  the  Giant,"  and  with 
some  reluctance  had  prepared  a  paper  on  Johann 
Sebastian  Bach,  restricting  himself  to  "Bach's  relation  to 
Church  Music  in  the  narrow  sense  of  that  word,  as 
music  used  in  the  Service  of  the  worshiping  congrega- 
tion." In  this  paper,  which  was  called  "very  important 
and  discriminating,"  he  applied  the  principles  laid  down 
by  the  Convocation,  defining  Church  Music  as  Service 
music,  congregational  music,  and  essentially  vocal  music, 
and  showed  that  Bach's  compositions  were  intended  "for 
the  glory  of  God"  as  he  inscribed  them,  and  for  the 
sanctuary  and  worship.  At  this  meeting  a  paper  was 
also  read,  "Milton  and  Music,"  which  had  been  prepared 
by  his  son,  Sigmund  Spaeth.  It  was  published,  with 
Dr.  Spaeth's  paper  on  Bach,  in  the  Church  Review, 
October,  1908.  The  convention  closed  with  the  singing 
of  Palestrina's  Marcelli  Mass,  by  the  choir  of  sixteen 
voices,  trained  by  Professor  C.  A.  Marks,  for  whom 
and  for  whose  work  Dr.  Spaeth  always  felt  the  highest 
esteem.  Before  another  meeting  of  the  Convocation 
both  of  them  had  passed  away. 

HYMNS,  TRANSLATIONS,  COMPOSITIONS 

While  Dr.  Spaeth's  poetry  alone  might  not  have  made 
him  famous,  the  ease  with  which  he  could  turn  any 
thought  or  sentiment  into  metrical  form  and,  if  need 
be,  fit  to  it  a  smooth  and  pleasing  melody,  made  not 
only  a  very  valuable  addition  to  his  equipment  for  the 
editorial  work  on  the  Jugendfreund,  but  also  for  the 
preparation  of  his  Sunday  school  programs  several  times 


246  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

a  year,  and  the  provision  of  material  for  his  choir.  For 
the  choir  especially  he  made  many  translations  from  the 
English,  where  the  music  was  adapted  to  his  purpose; 
for  example,  Whittier's  "Centennial  Hymn,"  "Crossing 
the  Bar,"  "Abide  with  Me,"  "Rock  of  Ages,"  "Jesus 
Lover  of  My  Soul,"  and  "Nearer  My  God  to  Thee." 

Some  of  these  were  particularly  adapted,  and  often 
used,  for  funerals  in  families  where  both  German  and 
English  were  spoken.  He  was  fond  of  the  old  tunes  in 
the  Scottish  Psalmody,  and  for  some  of  these  he  selected 
hymns,  though  their  metres  are  seldom  found  in  German. 
More  frequently  he  composed  new  words:  "Jesu  Christ, 
Marien  Sohn,"  "Nach  Dir,  o  Herr,  verlanget  mich," 
and  others.  After  his  second  marriage,  he  often  found 
tunes  in  the  "Church  Book  with  Music,"  especially 
adaptations  from  the  Danish,  "The  happy  Christmas," 
etc.,  which  he  used  first  for  the  Jugendfreund,  and  after- 
wards in  the  "Liederlust." 

For  the  tenth  of  May  and  for  the  Reformation  Festival 
he  wrote  words  to  a  fine  processional  which  he  found  in 
a  book  of  Kindergartenlieder  ("Es  klingt  wie  Festge- 
laeute").  Another  favorite  processional  was  written  to 
a  melody  of  his  own  ("Kommt,  Kinder,  Kommt,"  No. 
153  in  revised  Sonntagschulbuch),  which  was  originally 
set  to  a  lively  little  song  by  Julie  Lippman,  "Come  com- 
rades, come,  the  way  is  long."  His  music  to  Loehe's 
hymn,  "O  Gottes  Sohn"  (1885)  has  become  a  favorite, 
especially  in  our  Deaconess  Houses.  The  words  were 
translated  by  Mrs.  Spaeth.  A  very  beautiful  melody  to 
"O  Lamm  Gottes  unschuldig,"  long  used  in  St.  Johannis 
for  the  opening  of  every  communion  service,  may  be 
found  in  Wm.  Merker's  "Chor  Buch,"  No.  51. 

Among  his  best  hymns  are  those  written  for  the  great 
festivals  of  the  Church  Year.  For  Christmas  he  wrote 
both  words  and  music  of  "Auf  Bethlehems  Felde,"  which 
was  translated  and  used  in  the  English  Sunday  School 


THE  LIEDERLUST  247 

Book.  Another  Christmas  hymn,  "Herbei  zur  seligen 
Weihnachtsf reud !"  has  always  been  a  great  favorite  in 
St.  Johannis.  It  was  translated  both  by  Miss  Welden 
and  by  Mrs.  Spaeth,  and  printed  in  several  of  the  church 
papers.  For  Epiphany,  the  ancient  hymn  "Drei  Koenig 
fuehrt  die  goettlich  Hand"  (Koeln,  1621)  was  set  to 
music  by  Dr.  Spaeth  in  1886.  For  Easter  two  of  his 
melodies  are  given  in  the  "Liederlust,"  "Der  Ost 
ergluehet,"  *  and  "Osterglocken  klingen."  The  words 
of  the  latter  are  also  his.  For  Ascension,  Arndt's  fine 
song,  "Wie  prangt  im  Fruehlingskleide,"  inspired  a 
melody  worthy  of  it.  All  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  melodies  in 
the  "Liederlust,"  including  five  of  Friedrich  Rueckert's 
"Kindertodtenlieder,"  were  harmonized  by  Mr.  Endlich. 
The  "Liederlust,"  published  in  1886,  was  favorably 
reviewed  by  Dr.  B.  M.  Schmucker  and  others.  Dr. 
Schmucker  says:  "There  are  eight  original  songs  by  Dr. 
Spaeth,  all  of  which  are  marked  by  fluent  smoothness 
and,  at  times,  by  a  vigor  and  beauty  of  thought  which 
give  them  much  merit."  The  Iowa  Kirchenblatt  found 
the  book  excellent,  but,  "though  neither  compiler  nor 
publisher  thought  of  such  a  thing,  a  rather  formidable 
rival  to  the  beautiful  Sunday  School  Book  of  the  General 
Council."  In  the  second  sentence  of  the  Preface  the 
friendly  reviewer  might  have  found  his  apprehensions 
answered  by  Dr.  Spaeth's  own  words:  "For  most  of 
the  hymns  which  have  not  a  melody  of  their  own,  we 
refer  to  the  'Sonntagschulbuch,'  which  we  wish  to  see 
introduced  in  all  our  houses  and  schools." 

MISCELLANEOUS    LITERARY    WORK 

In  the  earlier  years  of  Pastor  Spaeth's  ministry  he 
wrote  a  vast  number  of  articles  on  a  great  variety  of 

♦Translated  and  used  in  Mrs.  Spaeth's  Easter  Service  for  1900, 
"Christ  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life,"  published  by  Mr.  Brobst. 


248  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

subjects,  mostly  for  the  periodicals  of  his  friend  Pastor 
Brobst,  few  of  which  had  any  permanent  value  or  more 
than  a  passing  interest.  In  1866  Pastor  Brobst  an- 
nounced in  the  Zeitschrift  that,  for  the  coming  year, 
Pastor  Spaeth  would  have  charge  of  the  departments, 
"Christian  Education  in  general,  and  Higher  Culture  in 
particular,"  "Relation  of  Church  to  Science  and  Art," 
and  "Foreign  News,  especially  Church  News."  Early 
in  1867  he  began  a  series  of  "Questions  and  Answers 
on  the  Gospels  of  the  Church  Year,"  which  ran  for  many 
months,  under  the  heading,  "The  Sunday  School 
Teacher."  At  the  same  time,  beginning  early  in  1868, 
Pastor  Spaeth  conducted,  for  about  a  year,  a  separate 
periodical  called  Sonntagschullehrer  und  Elternfreund, 
(Sunday  School  Teacher  and  Parents'  Friend),  which 
received  a  very  appreciative  notice  from  the  Lutheran 
and  Missionary.  A  few  months  later  he  became  in- 
terested in  the  Jugendfreund,  contributing  a  series  of 
Sermons  to  Children  in  1869,  and  long  continued  to 
take  a  very  active  part  in  this  publication,  which  he 
edited  from  1877  to  1889.  In  January,  1885,  Dr.  Spaeth 
writes,  after  giving  briefly  the  history  of  the  Jugend- 
freund: "When  Pastor  Brobst  was  on  his  deathbed,  he 
begged  the  writer  very  earnestly  and  eagerly  that  he 
might  depart  with  the  hope  that  his  Jugendfreund  would 
not  come  to  an  end,  but  would  be  carried  on  by  him  and 
other  friends.  We  made  this  promise  to  the  dying 
Brother,  and  have  tried,  with  the  help  of  God  to  keep  it. 
We  will  go  on  trying  to  be  true  to  the  words  that  Pastor 
Brobst  had  printed  in  large  letters  in  the  first  number 
of  the  Jugendfreund,  June  16,  1847:  'Wer  dem  Teufel 
in  seinem  Reich  einen  Schaden  zufuegen  will,  der  ihn 
recht  beisse,  der  mache  sich  an  die  Jugend  und  Kinder 
und  suche  bei  ihnen  einen  Grund  zu  legen,  der  fuer  und 
fuer  bleibe.' "  (Luther.) 

There  was  hardly  a  reputable  German  Church  paper 


THE  ERINNERUNGEN  249 

published  in  the  General  Council  in  the  East,  to  which 
he  was  not  at  some  time  asked  to  contribute.  Several 
series  of  travel-letters  appeared  in  different  periodicals. 
"Betrachtungen,"  homiletical  meditations,  were  contin- 
ued for  months,  not  only  in  German  papers,  but  also  in 
English,  for  example,  "Gospel  Thoughts"  and  similar 
series  in  the  Lutheran,  and  even  seventeen  "Sermonettes" 
in  the  Public  Ledger.  The  latter  grew  out  of  a  "Ser- 
monette"  in  which  Dr.  Spaeth  considered  the  peculiar 
tenets  of  the  Romish  Church  somewhat  offensively 
brought  forward.  His  letter  of  remonstrance  "was  de- 
clined, on  the  very  proper  ground  that  a  daily  newspaper 
is  not  an  arena  for  irate  theologians,  but  with  the  offer 
to  print  a  series  of  Lutheran  "Sermonettes"  if  he  would 
supply  them.  He  undertook  to  do  so,  and  while  he  was 
abroad  during  part  of  the  time  in  which  they  appeared, 
this  duty,  with  a  marked  copy  of  the  "Saatkoerner"  was 
handed  over  to  Mrs.  Spaeth. 

Perhaps  the  most  important,  certainly  the  most  gen- 
erally interesting  series  of  German  articles  from  Dr. 
Spaeth's  pen,  was  the  "Erinnerungen"  (Reminiscences), 
printed  in  the  Kirchenbote  during  the  last  two  years  of 
its  publication  (1906  to  1908),  beginning  a  few  months 
before  he  succeeded  Pastor  Goedel  as  its  editor.  They 
are  called  the  "Reminiscences  of  a  Philadelphia  Pastor," 
but  cover  a  much  wider  range,  including  a  concise  history 
of  the  Seminary,  the  General  Council,  the  Allgemeine 
Konferenz,  etc.  As  far  as  they  concern  his  life  and 
work,  the  "Erinnerungen"  have  been  embodied  in  this 
volume. 

SUNDAY    REST 

In  the  fall  of  1893,  on  the  way  home  from  Rock  Island 
and  Dubuque,  Dr.  Spaeth  spent  half  a  day  at  the  Ex- 
position in  Chicago,  but  contented  himself  with  looking 
at  the  outside  of  the  buildings  and  getting  the  general 


250  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

effect,  which  he  found  very  fine.  ...  "I  kept  away 
from  the  World's  Congress  of  Religion,  as  I  consider 
the  whole  business  unchristian  and  humbug.  But  for 
the  Sunday  Rest  Congress  I  had  sent  in  a  paper,  in  which, 
over  against  the  Romish  presentation  of  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons and  the  puritanic-calvinistic  views  of  a  New  York 
Presbyterian,  I  tried  to  represent  the  truly  Evangelical 
conception  of  Sunday,  as  confessed  in  our  Augustana 
and  the  Catechism.  In  many  circles,  as  was  to  be  ex- 
pected, I  gave  great  offence,  and  have  had  ample  oppor- 
tunity once  more  to  be  convinced  how  much  our  American 
Christianity  and  church  life  need  the  healthy  Paulinian 
salt,  which,  above  all,  our  Lutheran  Confession  repre- 
sents. The  French  showed  a  special  interest  in  my 
work  on  this  subject,  and  I  was  pleased  to  receive  from 
Paris,  a  newspaper  issued  in  the  interest  of  Sunday  Rest, 
which  reprinted  the  main  portions  of  my  Essay,  briefly 
and  concisely,  as  giving  the  correct  standpoint,  over 
against  the  puritan  English  idea  of  Sunday."  (A.  S.  to 
Hole.)  The  full  text  of  this  paper  was  later  published 
in  the  Church  Review,  and  to  it  was  appended  the  fol- 
lowing note:  "No  effort  was  made  to  explain,  defend 
or  apologize  for  the  declarations  made  in  our  Confes- 
sions. They  were  simply  stated,  and  their  close  relation 
was  pointed  out  to  the  two  fundamental  principles  of  the 
Reformation:  Justification  by  Faith,  and  the  Word  of 
God  as  the  only  rule  of  faith  and  means  of  grace.  .  . 
A  'Lutheran'  who  happened  to  be  a  member  of  the 
Committee  on  the  Chicago  Sunday  Congress  and  into 
whose  hands  the  paper  had  been  given,  to  read  it  before 
the  convention,  at  once  went  to  work  and  prepared  an 
opposition  paper,  in  which  he  tried  to  prove  that  the 
statements  here  presented  from  the  Catechism  and  the 
Augsburg  Confession  were  not  the  Lutheran  Views  on 
Sunday  and  Sunday  Rest.  Fortunately  when  the  Com- 
mittee published  the  principal  papers  read  in  Chicago, 


DAS  GEISTLICHE  VOLKSLIED  251 

it  adhered  to  the  original  presentation  of  the  'Lutheran 
View,'  and  printed  at  least  a  brief  of  its  essential  points." 

LECTURES 

Dr.  Spaeth's  ability  as  a  lecturer  was  recognized  in 
America  long  before  the  great  series  of  Hero  Lectures 
gave  him  a  European  reputation  also.  The  first  lecture 
of  which  there  is  any  record  was  in  1865,  June  1st,  on 
"Savonarola,"  for  the  benefit  of  the  Orphans'  Home. 
On  January  6,  1868,  he  delivered  his  first  Mission  lecture 
on  India,  with  maps;  on  the  20th  his  first  lecture  for 
the  German  Society,  on  the  "Waldenses."  In  1871  the 
fine  lecture  on  "Ernst  Moritz  Arndt,  ein  Prophet  des 
deutschen  Volkes,"  showed  traces  of  the  power  that  the 
Hero  Lectures  were  to  develop  later. 

In  1875  one  of  the  series  given  to  pave  the  way  for 
the  Sonntagschulbuch  in  St.  Johannis,  attracted  much 
attention.  The  Zeitschrift  describes  the  arrangement 
in  the  church,  by  which  a  large  platform  was  built  out 
from  the  pulpit,  accommodating  the  choir  and  the  chil- 
dren of  the  parish  school.  Dr.  Spaeth's  theme  was, 
"Das  geistliche  Volkslied,"  illustrated  by  hymns  for  the 
chief  Festivals,  from  the  earliest  time  until  after  the 
Reformation.  Each  hymn  was  preceded  by  a  few  ex- 
planatory words,  and  was  first  read  and  then  sung.  The 
spiritual  Folk-song  took  its  rise  from  the  Kyrie  Eleison 
which  the  Germans  sang  in  the  earliest  times,  and  to 
which,  gradually,  short  sentences  were  added.  Later, 
not  only  hymns  for  the  Church  Festivals,  but  verses  com- 
memorating some  passing  event  were  sung  to  these 
simple,  popular  tunes,  a  proof  of  the  firm  hold  which 
Christianity  had  taken  on  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and 
how  all  the  relations  of  life  were  pervaded  by  Christian 
ideas.  Often  secular  melodies  were  wedded  to  religious 
words  and  to  this  we  owe  not  a  few  of  the  finest  hvmns. 


252  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

In  a  private  letter  printed  a  few  weeks  later,  Dr.  J.  J. 
Schaeublein,  Musikdirektor  in  Basel,  says:  "Professor 
Spaeth  is  entirely  right  in  thinking  that  such  lectures  are 
a  most  important  factor  in  introducing  and  establishing 
the  Sonntagschulbuch,  especially  now,  when  the  effort 
to  promote  the  circulation  of  rival  collections  of  songs 
(of  which  I  could  easily  turn  out  a  dozen  a  day,  of  the 
very  sweetest  type)  is  meeting  with  so  much  favor  in 
your  country.  Only  by  means  of  what  is  good,  can 
we  fully  attain  goodness." 

Dr.  Spaeth  often  delivered  lectures  in  the  Seminary, 
abstracts  in  English  of  the  Hero  Lectures,  or  specially 
prepared.  In  1894,  his  address  on  "Gustavus  Adolphus" 
was  noticed  in  the  Lutheran  as  worthy  of  the  Academy 
of  Music  and  a  large  audience.  "Rarely  do  we  find 
Professors  of  Theology  able  to  explain  with  minuteness 
and  thorough  familiarity  the  art  of  war,  and  the  mode 
of  handling  forces."  In  1898  he  spoke  to  the  students 
on  the  "Founding  of  the  German  Empire  by  Bismarck ;" 
in  1905,  by  special  request,  he  made  an  English  address 
on  Schiller,  reading  extracts  in  German  from  the  "Bride 
of  Messina"  and  the  "Song  of  the  Bell." 

ARTICLES    FOR    WORKS    OF    REFERENCE 

The  first  work  of  reference  to  which  Pastor  Spaeth 
contributed  was  M.  Gottfried  Buechner's  "biblische 
Real-und  Verbal  Hand-Concordanz,  oder  Exegetisch- 
homiletisches  Lexikon,  revised  and  improved  by  Dr. 
Heinrich  Leonhard  Huebner,  with  a  preface  by  Dr. 
Philip  Schaff."  In  1871  the  thirteenth  edition  of  this 
Concordance  (first  American  edition)  was  published  by 
Ig.  Kohler,  and  to  it  Pastor  Spaeth  added  about  8060 
new  passages.  These  were  based  on  Cruden's  Concord- 
ance, and  were  printed  as  an  Appendix.  Difficult 
passages  were  briefly  explained.    The  Diary  tells  us  that 


BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE  253 

this  work  was  completed  in  three  months.  The  Lutheran 
said,  in  noticing  the  Concordance:  "The  Appendix  by 
Pastor  Spaeth,  extending  to  nearly  sixty  closely  printed 
pages,  is  a  marvel  of  industry  and  precision." 

In  1887  a  "Kirchliches  Handlexicon"  was  published 
by  J.  Naumann  of  Leipzig,  under  the  direction  of  Carl 
Meusel,  Ph.  D.  Dr.  Spaeth  had  the  department  of 
American  Church  and  Theology.  After  writing  a  few 
articles  he  resigned  this  appointment.  The  articles  are 
not  signed. 

The  "Lutheran  Cyclopedia"  appeared  in  1899,  edited 
by  Dr.  Henry  E.  Jacobs,  with  the  assistance  of  Dr.  J. 
A.  W.  Haas.  The  departments  of  Hymnology  and 
Catechetics  were  in  charge  of  Dr.  Spaeth.  He  con- 
tributed also  to  Liturgies,  and  wrote  on  other  general 
topics,  e.  g.,  the  "Tuebingen  Stift,"  and  the  "Professors 
in  Tuebingen."  Including  the  short  biographical  notes 
on  hymn-writers  and  others,  he  wrote  about  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  articles. 

1 90 1.  "Realencylopaedie  fuer  protestantische  Theo- 
logie  und  Kirche.  Begruendet  von  J.  J.  Herzog  (1877) 
heraus  gegeben  von  Dr.  Albert  Hauck."  For  this  third 
edition  (Herzog-Hauck),  Dr.  Spaeth  had  taken  up  the 
work  which  his  dear  friend,  Dr.  Sigmund  Fritschel,  was 
not  able  to  finish.  He  wrote  the  articles:  Krauth — 
Mann — Muehlenberg — Nord  Amerika,  luther.  Kirche — 
Schmucker,  B.  M. — Schmucker,  S.  S. — Walther,  Ferd., 
several  of  which  were  translated  for  the  Church  Revieiv. 
One  of  these,  on  the  "Lutheran  Church  in  North 
America"  was  printed  separately  and  is  thus  noticed  by 
the  Reviezv:  "It  is  a  discriminative  and  historical 
resume  and  survey  of  the  whole  American  Church, 
crowded  with  the  salient  points  of  development,  objective 
in  mode  of  treatment,  well  proportioned  in  quantity  of 
matter  given  to  each,  and  fair  to  all.  It  is  the  best 
brief  description  of  the  history  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in 


254  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

America  ever  written."  The  next  issue  of  Herzog  was 
an  English  revision  of  the  second  edition  (known  as 
Herzog- Plitt),  edited  by  Drs.  Schaff  and  S.  M.  Jackson, 
in  which  some  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  articles  were  included 
from  the  Herzog-Hauck.  He  had  not  contributed  to  the 
"Herzog-Plitt  Encyclopedia,"  which  contained  articles 
from  only  three  Americans,  Drs.  Gregory,  Mann  and 
Schaff. 

In  191 1  the  third  volume  of  Hastings'  "Encyclopaedia 
of  Religion  and  Ethics"  contained  an  article  on  "Cate- 
chisms (Lutheran)",  which  had  been  prepared  for  it  by 
Dr.  Spaeth. 

HIS  ENGLISH  ARTICLES  AND  HIS  BOOKS 

In  speaking  of  the  Lutheran  Church  Revieiv  for 
April,  1885,  containing  Dr.  Spaeth's  sermon  in  Monroe, 
on  the  General  Council,  and  Dr.  Mann's  review  of 
"Zschocke's  Hours  of  Devotion,"  Dr.  B.  M.  Schmucker 
says:  "It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  two  of  the  three 
articles  in  this  number  of  the  Revieiv,  written  in  pure, 
racy,  vigorous  English,  should  be  from  the  pens  of  men 
born  and  educated,  to  the  close  of  the  University  course, 
in  Germany,  and,  ever  since  their  coming  to  America, 
Pastors  of  German  churches."  As  early  as  1871  the 
Diary  notes,  December  12th:  "This  morning  wrote 
an  article  for  the  'Lutheran'  in  defense  of  Brother  Brobst 
in  the  German  liturgy  matter.  Will  see  whether  it  is 
accepted,  and  how  it  is  received."  The  Lutheran  had 
called  Pastor  Brobst  rather  sharply  to  account  for  al- 
leged changes  in  the  order  of  service  which  he  had  re- 
printed, and  proposed  to  issue  with  music.  Pastor 
Spaeth's  first  English  article,  which  Pastor  Geisenhainer 
also  signed,  began  with  the  rather  startling  address, 
"Mrs.  Editors!"  a  perfectly  logical  plural  for  "Mr. 
Editor."    An  editorial  note  in  the  same  issue,  December 


ENGLISH  ARTICLES  AND  BOOKS  255 

28th,  admits  that  too  much  had  been  made  of  the 
"changes"  which  were  practically  only  in  rubrics.  Then, 
having  successfully  championed  his  friend,  Pastor 
Spaeth  retired  for  ten  yeare  from  the  columns  of  the 
Lutheran. 

After  1880,  when  Dr.  Spaeth's  position  in  the  General 
Council  forced  him  to  use  the  English  language  very 
frequently  in  his  public  ministrations,*  and  especially 
after  the  founding  of  the  Reviezv  in  1882,  to  which  he 
contributed  regularly  f  from  the  first  number  on,  many, 
probably  most,  of  his  important  articles  appeared  in 
English.  The  "Saatkoerner"  was  published  in  1893. 
For  it  he  had  masses  of  material  in  German,  and,  as  a 
memorial  volume  for  St.  Johannis,  it  was  necessarily  in 
that  language.  The  "Erinnerungsblaetter,"  selected 
from  Dr.  Mann's  voluminous  writings,  were  of  course 
in  both  languages.  This  book  appeared  in  1895,  anc^ 
after  that,  the  three  larger  volumes  written  by  him,  the 
"Commentary  on  John"  (1896),  and  the  Krauth 
Biography  I  (1898),  and  II  (1909),  were  all  English. 
The  most  critical  reader  could  scarcely  find  a  flaw  in  the 
tenderly  beautiful  tribute  with  which  the  Biography 
closes. 

The  "Saatkoerner,"  while  primarily  intended  as  a 
remembrance  to  St.  Johannis  on  its  twenty-fifth  anni- 
versary, received  hearty  recognition  on  all  sides  as  a 
valuable  series  of  sermon-suggestions.  "This  book  will 
not  only  recall  to  the  members  of  the  congregation  much 

*  The  Diary  says,  June  17,  1880:  "At  the  service  in  St.  Mark's, 
connected  with  the  sending  off  of  a  missionary  to  India,  I  spoke 
for  the  first  time  in  English,  in  one  of  our  English  churches." 
The  missionary  was  Rev.  H.  G.  B.  Artmann. 

t  In  the  earlier  numbers  he  had  charge  of  the  department,  "Recent 
German  Theological  Literature."  Several  of  his  later  articles  were 
re-printed  separately,  especially  biographical  sketches,  and  contribu- 
tions to  the  history  of  our  Church  in  America. 


256  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

that  is  not  here  written,  but  will  be  highly  prized  by 
others  for  the  rich  thoughts  drawn  from  God's  word, 
with  which  every  section  abounds."  (H.  E.  J.)  "A 
charming  gift,  this  'Saatkoerner,'  from  which  I  have 
often  sown  good  seed  in  my  own  soul,  as  well  as  in  the 
souls  entrusted  to  me.  .  .  .  The  more  earnestly  I 
study  it,  the  more  highly  do  I  value  it."  (Bishop  von 
Scheele. ) 

In  the  Lutheran  of  January  31,  1895,  Dr.  Krotel 
writes:  "Although  Dr.  Spaeth  is  a  very  busy  man,  he 
still  seems  to  find  time  for  new  work.  He  reminds  me, 
in  this  particular,  of  a  statement  I  recently  read  con- 
cerning the  late  Dr.  Ph.  Schaff,  viz.,  that  he  always  had 
three  books  under  way  at  one  and  the  same  time.  That 
seems  to  be  the  case  with  the  gentleman  who  is  at  one 
and  the  same  time  President  of  the  Synod  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, Pastor  of  St.  Johannis  church,  and  Professor  in 
our  Theological  Seminary.  He  has  long  been  at  work 
on  a  Biography  of  the  lamented  Dr.  Charles  Porterfield 
Krauth,  his  father-in-law,  of  which  he  has  already 
published  some  chapters;  he  is  announced  as  one  of  the 
writers  of  the  new  'Lutheran  Commentary;'  and  here 
he  is  at  work  on  a  life  of  Dr.  Mann." 

This  was  published  in  1895  under  the  title,  "Dr. 
Wilhelm  Julius  Mann,  ein  deutsch-amerikanischer 
Theologe,"  with  the  sub-title,  "Erinnerungsblaetter."  In 
addition  to  his  memorial  of  Dr.  Mann,*  which  appeared 
in  English  in  the  Review  of  January,  1893,  and  was 
separately  printed  for  the  Ministerium  later,  Dr.  Spaeth 
had  thought  of  writing  a  German  Biography  of  his 
friend,  but  gave  up  this  intention  when  Miss  Emma 
Mann's  charming  Memoir  of  her  father  appeared.  In- 
stead, he  put  together  the  "Erinnerungsblaetter,"  extracts 
from    Dr.    Mann's    published    articles,    his    letters    and 

*  Called  by  the  Lutheran  "a  beautiful,  and,  to  our  mind,  an  ideal 
biography." 


LECTURES  AND  ANNOTATIONS  ON  JOHN  257 

diaries,  only  supplying  the  necessary  connecting  links, 
"without  adding  any  criticism,  even  when  he  differed 
from  the  sentiments  expressed.  .  .  .  We  close  the 
book  with  gratitude  to  Dr.  Spaeth  for  his  warm-hearted 
tribute  to  the  man,  the  value  of  whose  friendship  the 
lapse  of  years  only  helped  him  to  appreciate  more 
deeply."   (G.  F.  K.) 

In  the  spring  of  1891  Dr.  Spaeth  delivered  a  course 
of  seven  lectures  on  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  by  invita- 
tion of  the  American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature,  a 
national  organization  for  furthering  a  more  general  and 
accurate  knowledge  of  Scripture.  Each  lecture  was  de- 
livered in  the  afternoon  in  the  lecture  room  of  Trinity 
Church,  Nineteenth  and  Walnut,  and  repeated  the  same 
evening  in  the  Oxford  Presbyterian  Church  on  North 
Broad  Street.  The  course  was  very  well  attended.  In 
Capri  he  was  working  on  a  second  series  of  lectures,  by 
invitation  of  the  same  association,  taking  up  the  book 
of  Acts,  and  had  the  Syllabus  ready  for  the  printer,  but 
the  lectures  were  not  completed,  owing  doubtless  to  his 
physical  condition  in  the  following  winter.  The  lectures 
of  1 89 1  were  made  the  basis  of  the  "Annotations  on 
the  Gospel  according  to  St.  John,"  Volume  V.  of  the 
"Lutheran  Commentary,"  published  by  the  Christian 
Literature  Co.,  New  York,  1896.  At  the  same  time  ap- 
peared Volume  VII.  of  the  Commentary,  containing 
Dr.  Jacobs'  "Annotations  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans." 
Naturally  the  two  volumes  were  usually  reviewed  to- 
gether, and  many  points  were  brought  out,  of  similarity 
or  contrast  between  the  two  authors  and  their  works. 
Dr.  Fry  writes:  "Dr.  Jacobs  has  been  the  patient  in- 
vestigator, searching  for  the  foundations  of  truth,  Dr. 
Spaeth  the  eloquent  preacher  seeking  to  shew  men  that 
truth  in  all  its  consistency  and  power.  .  .  .  These 
two  books  suggest  in  a  remarkable  way,  not  only  the 
wonderful  variety,  yet  greater  unity  of  the  Word  of 


258  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

God  on  which  they  comment, — but  the  diversities  of 
gifts  and  gifted  men  with  whom  God  has  blessed  our 
Church.  And  if,  by  the  study  of  these  two  volumes  one 
could  catch  the  manner  and  spirit  of  both,  in  his  investi- 
gation and  presentation  of  God's  Word, — it  would  be 
a  combination  of  power  the  world  has  seldom  seen." 
Dr.  Schmauk  says,  of  the  Commentary  on  John:  "His 
masterpiece,  both  in  the  way  of  control,  of  solidity,  of 
finish,  and  of  that  deep  German  Innigkeit  which  dis- 
tinguished the  writing  of  Luther  and  of  St.  John  him- 
self." {Church  Review,  July,  191  o.) 

"Die  heilige  Passion  in  sieben  liturgischen  Andachten," 
was  published  in  1897  after  twenty  years'  use  in  St. 
Johannis,  at  first  in  simple  form,  then  with  all  the  musical 
embellishment  for  which  it  offered  opportunity.  It  was 
based  on  Schoeberlein's  "Passionsliturgie,"  published  in 
1870,  of  which  a  second  edition  was  given  out  by  Max 
Herold  in  1895.  Dr.  Berkemeier  in  reviewing  it  says: 
"Compiled  from  the  best  sources  by  the  man  Who  has 
probably  done  more  than  any  other  in  this  land  for  the 
re-awakening  of  the  liturgical  spirit,  Dr.  A.  Spaeth,  these 
services  offer  an  inexhaustible  spring  of  pure  devotion. 
Scripture  and  hymns,  choir  music  and  collects  are  here 
so  woven  together,  with  such  fine  discriminating  art, 
and  at  the  same  time,  such  artless  simplicity,  that  every 
heart  must  be  deeply  moved  by  them." 

THE    KRAUTH    BIOGRAPHY 

Shortly  after  Dr.  Krauth's  death  Dr.  Spaeth  began 
collecting  material  for  his  biography.  Dr.  Krauth  had 
never  kept  a  diary,  but  a  number  of  sketches  of  his 
early  life  appeared,  giving  interesting  details  of  his 
college  days.  He  was  not  yet  sixty,  and  for  some  years 
many  of  his  cotemporaries  survived  him.  Through  Dr. 
B.  M.  Schmucker,  Dr.  Spaeth  had  access  to  very  valuable 


THE  KRAUTH   BIOGRAPHY  259 

private  and  official  papers  belonging  to  Dr.  S.  S. 
Schmucker  and  others,  in  the  General  Synod,  which 
would  scarcely  have  been  offered  to  any  other  biographer. 
Dr.  Krauth's  correspondence  with  his  father  was  a 
faithful  record  of  his  theological  development.  Family 
letters  and  papers  were,  of  course,  at  Dr.  Spaeth's  dis- 
posal. And,  coming  to  his  printed  articles  and  works  of 
every  kind,  the  mass  of  material  was  overwhelming. 
Much  of  this  was  in  the  clumsy  old  Lutheran  and  Mis- 
sionary, volume  after  volume  of  which  was  carried  from 
the  Seminary  to  the  parsonage  for  examination.  Dozens 
of  note-books  were  filled;  now  and  then  an  article  was 
painfully  dictated  and  written  out,  only  to  be  discovered 
ten  minutes  later,  neatly  pasted  in  a  scrap-book!  In 
1890  the  first  volume  was  ready  for  the  press.  "Now 
we  need  a  publisher,"  says  the  Diary,  but  as  this  worthy 
did  not  show  himself,  the  Ms.  was  laid  aside  for  eight 
years,  during  which  the  work  on  the  second  volume 
was  carried  on,  somewhat  less  vigorously,  and  with 
many  interruptions.  In  1898  Dr.  Spaeth  published  the 
first  volume  at  his  own  expense.  It  was  very  kindly 
received  by  the  reviewers,  but  they,  as  well  as  the  general 
public,  seemed  inclined  to  wait  for  the  second  volume 
before  committing  themselves.  When  this  appeared  in 
1909,  completing  the  last  and  greatest  of  Dr.  Spaeth's 
works,  there  was  but  one  voice  of  satisfaction  and 
pleasure  in  every  part  of  the  Church.  Dr.  Bauslin  wrote, 
"We  are  glad  for  the  completion  of  this  able  biography. 
It  is  full  of  historical  data  not  available  elsewhere,  and 
dealing  with  a  most  interesting  period  of  our  denomi- 
national history  in  this  country.  It  is  a  timely  work. 
It  will  inform,  illuminate  and  confirm."  "In  this  history 
we  have  a  dogmatics,  a  practical  theology,  a  liturgies, 
a  church  polity,  a  book  of  devotion,  all  in  one.  We  most 
earnestly  recommend  it  to  our  pastors."  (Lutheran 
Standard.)     "We  do  not  hesitate  to  give  to  the  finished 


26o  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

work  a  place  among  the  foremost  productions  of  our 
Lutheran  Church,  in  the  English  language.  ...  He 
who  wishes  to  form  a  correct  judgment  of  the  General 
Council  of  today,  will  do  well  first  to  study  this  book 
thoroughly."    (Prof.   M.   Reu,  Kirchliche  Zeitschrift.) 


Dr.  Spaeth  was  a  passionate  man.  When  he  felt  it 
necessary  to  strike,  he  could  deal  a  straight  and  telling 
blow.  Yet,  among  all  the  thousands  of  articles  that 
flowed  from  his  ready  pen,  very  few  can  be  considered 
as  polemical.  He  was  neither  pugnacious  nor  resentful, 
neither  vindictive  nor  implacable.  From  his  father  he 
had  inherited  a  fine  stock  of  pungent  Swabian  phrases, 
"drastisch"  he  called  them,  and  one  of  these  which  he 
often  used  was  "den  Kopf  zwischen  die  Ohren  setzen."  * 
Undoubtedly  that  is  the  only  proper  position  for  the 
head,  though  the  process  of  having  it  restored  to  its 
place  may  be  anything  but  agreeable. 

October  13,  1881,  the  Lutheran  published  an  editorial, 
on  the  "Christian  Colonization  in  Palestine,"  by  the 
"large  number  of  devout  people"  composing  the  Temple 
Society,  characterizing  the  movement  as  "a  beginning 
for  the  recovery  of  that  downtrodden  land  as  the  earthly 
centre  and  seat  of  the  Kingdom  of  God."  The  Editor, 
Dr.  Seiss,  recommended  the  agent  who  was  collecting 
for  this  purpose  in  America,  and  declared  himself  ready 
to  receive  contributions  for  the  cause.  In  the  following 
week  the  Zeitschrift  contained  a  statement  by  Dr.  Spaeth, 
of  the  true  origin  and  character  of  the  "German  Temple," 
founded  by  Christoph  Hoffmann,  called  by  the  Work- 
man "the  saddest  idiocy  of  modern  German  religionism." 
He  dwelt  on  the  antagonism  of  the  "Tempelsekt"  to  the 
Church,  its  denial  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  and 

♦Used  at  least  once  in  print,  in  the  "Reisebriefe"  (Kirchenbote 
1907),  when  Dr.  Spaeth  "set  straight"  the  Jewish  gentleman  who 
had  never  heard  of  "Ein  feste  Burg." 


THE  TEMPELSEKT.     LUTHER  AND  HERETICS      261 

of  the  divine  nature  of  Christ,  and  suggested  that  if 
the  Editor  of  the  Lutheran  needed  information  on  this 
subject  there  were  plenty  of  German  pastors  in  Pennsyl- 
vania able  to  give  it  to  him!  The  Lutheran  of  October 
27th  contained  an  article  confessing  that  the  Editor  had 
written  on  insufficient  acquaintance  with  the  facts,  and 
offering  to  print  a  correct  account  of  the  movement. 
This  was  supplied  by  Dr.  Spaeth,  and  printed  without 
comment  in  the  Lutheran  of  November  10th.  On  the 
twenty-fourth  of  November,  however,  in  a  second  article 
on  the  Temple  Colonists,  Dr.  Seiss  states  that  having 
read  Hoffmann's  book,  "The  Guide  to  Lasting  Happi- 
ness," 1878,  which  he  finds  "intensely  mystical,"  sectarian 
and  unchurchly,  and  being  now  informed  of  the  facts, 
he  has  no  sympathy  whatever  with  the  movement. 

A  discussion  too  courteous  to  be  called  a  controversy, 
is  thus  described  by  Dr.  Jacobs:  "In  the  American 
Historical  Review  for  January,  1904,  an  address  de- 
livered by  Henry  Charles  Lea,  LL.  D.,  as  President  of 
the  American  Historical  Association,  at  its  annual  meet- 
ing in  the  preceding  December,  on  'Ethical  Values  in 
History,'  appeared.  The  author  was  well  known  for 
a  number  of  historical  works,  especially  his  'History  of 
the  Inquisition,'  'History  of  Auricular  Confession,'  and 
'History  of  Sacerdotal  Celibacy,'  that  placed  him  in  the 
first  rank  of  American  historical  writers,  and  gave  him 
a  world-wide  reputation,  as  a  most  industrious  collector 
of  facts,  and  a  most  careful  and  discriminating  scholar. 
In  this  address,  Dr.  Lea,  in  criticizing  the  spirit  of  re- 
ligious persecution,  intimated  that  even  Luther  was  not 
free  from  the  charge.  He  said  (American  Historical 
Review,  IX:  239) :  'If  the  canon  law  required  sovereigns 
to  put  heretics  to  death,  Luther  in  1528  subscribed  to  a 
declaration  of  the  Wittenberg  theologians  prescribing  the 
same  fate  for  those  whom  they  classed  as  such.' 

"Dr.  Spaeth  having  read  the  article  with  much  interest, 


262  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

turned  to  Melanchthon's  works  in  the  Corpus  Reforma- 
torum,  and,  finding  the  document  referred  to,  saw  at 
once  that  the  punishment  there  advocated  was  directed 
against  certain  revolutionary  agitators  of  the  time,  not 
because  of  their  heretical  opinions  but  because  they  fo- 
mented insurrection  against  the  civil  government.  He 
accordingly  wrote  Dr.  Lea  a  letter  directing  attention 
to  the  injustice  done  Luther  by  his  misinterpretation  of 
the  passage  to  which  he  alluded. 

"To  this,  Dr.  Lea  replied  very  promptly  and  candidly 
that  he  had  derived  his  information,  not  at  first  hand, 
but  from  a  recent  German  brochure,  whose  title  he  gave. 
He  promised  to  give  the  matter  his  very  careful  atten- 
tion and  investigation.  A  few  months  later,  Dr.  Lea 
fulfilled  his  promise,  and  sent  Dr.  Spaeth  a  list  of  his- 
torical references  showing  that  the  statement  made  in 
the  address,  so  far  as  Luther  was  concerned,  was  in- 
correct. It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  the  incident  was 
highly  creditable  to  Dr.  Lea,  and  exalts  his  reputation 
as  an  historian." 

The  Lutheran  of  November  18,  1909,  notes  the  death 
of  Dr.  Lea,  as  the  occasion  of  the  presentation  by  Dr. 
Spaeth,  to  the  Krauth  Library,  of  that  author's  "History 
of  the  Inquisition  in  Spain,"  four  volumes.  "This  timely 
gift  recalls  the  warm  controversy  which  Dr.  Spaeth  had 
with  the  late  distinguished  historian  concerning  Luther's 

attitude  on  religious  persecution Although 

the  controversy  was  carried  on  by  correspondence  and 
with  the  utmost  courtesy,  it  was  none  the  less  animated, 
and  Dr.  Lea  was  finally  convinced  that  Luther's  own 
writings  were  sufficient  to  controvert  his, point  of  view." 

THE   ROOSEVELT    AFFAIR 

Toward  the  end  of  1908,  immediately  after  the  election 
of  Mr.  Taft,  President  Roosevelt  wrote  a  very  indiscrete 


CHURCH  AND  STATE  263 

reply  to  one  of  many  letters  asking  information  as  to 
Mr.  Taft's  religious  convictions  and  sympathies,  in 
which  he  stigmatized  it  as  un-American,  as  "narrow  and 
unwarrantable  bigotry"  for  anyone  to  decline  voting 
for  a  Roman  Catholic  as  President.  This  letter  had  the 
unqualified  approval  of  Cardinal  Gibbons,  who  "knew  it 
was  coming  out,"  but  it  raised  a  storm  of  opposition 
among  prominent  Protestant  bodies,  the  objectionable 
point  being  not  the  religious  belief,  as  such,  of  a  Roman 
Catholic,  but  the  official  declarations  and  assumptions 
of  the  Church  itself,  and  its  claim  for  universal  dominion 
as  the  prerogative  of  the  Pope. 

The  New  York  Pastoral  Conference  of  the  Missouri 
Synod  at  once  sent  an  open  letter  of  protest  to  the 
President,  which  was  endorsed  by  the  Philadelphia 
pastors.  Dr.  Spaeth,  as  chairman  of  a  joint  committee 
of  both  Pastoral  Conferences  wrote  a  long  letter  to  the 
President,  acknowledged,  even  by  Romanists,  to  be  the 
strongest  paper  published  in  this  affair.*  A  war  of 
words  followed  in  the  daily  papers,  between  individuals 
of  various  denominations  and  prominent  Romanists,  who 
made  great  efforts  to  evade  certain  citations  from  Papal 
Bulls,  or  to  represent  them  as  entirely  harmless.  Most 
of  them  carefully  avoided  the  real  issue. 

Dr.  Spaeth  later  prepared  "Theses  on  Church  and 
State,"  for  the  Pastoral  Association,  which  were  pub- 
lished December  21,  1908.  After  clearly  stating  the  re- 
lation between  the  civil  power  and  the  Church,  based  on 
our  Lord's  separation  of  the  things  of  Caesar  from  the 

*  In  an  article,  "Staat,  Kirche  und  Stimmrecht  in  den  Vereinigten 
Staaten  von  Amerika,"  Dr.  Spaeth  gave  a  very  concise  account  of 
the  whole  matter,  and  said:  "We  do  not  expect  a  reply.  We  know 
that  the  President  cannot  give  an  answer  without  entering  upon 
things  which  do  not  pertain  to  his  office.  He  has  no  call,  as  an 
official  of  our  government,  to  fight  against  the  false  theories  of 
Romanists,  and  their  principles  concerning  Church  and  State." 


264  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

things  of  God,  and  referring  to  the  history  of  a  thousand 
years  of  conflict  between  Pope  and  Emperor,  the  Theses 
give  the  protest  of  the  Augsburg  Confession  against 
the  "confusion  of  the  power  of  the  Church  and  the  power 
of  the  sword"  as  essentially  describing  the  relation  of 
Church  and  State  in  our  land,  formally  recognized  and 
guaranteed  in  our  Constitution.  Thesis  VIII.  then  says: 
"It  is  needless  to  raise  that  purely  academic  question, 
what  a  Roman  Catholic  President  might  possibly  do  in 
the  administration  of  his  office.  Roman  Catholicism  has 
practically  almost  all  the  power  it  craves.  Nevertheless, 
we  are  convinced  by  the  overwhelming  testimony  of  cen- 
turies, that  the  Church  of  Rome  is  essentially  a  political 
organization,  a  State  within  a  State,  a  world  power  that 
claims  a  controlling  influence  in  secular  affairs  as  well 
as  in  purely  religious  and  spiritual  matters. 

"When,  therefore,  a  President  of  the  United  States 
sends  a  message  to  the  head  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  saying:  T  am  most  happy  because  of  the  good 
relations  existing  between  the  Vatican  and  this  govern- 
ment,' he  does  a  most  un-American  thing,  recognizing 
certain  peculiar  official  relations  between  'this  govern- 
ment' and  the  head  of  a  powerful  Church  in  these  United 
States,  that  head  being  a  foreigner,  an  Italian." 

THE  EX-PRESIDENT  AND  THE  VATICAN 

When  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  first  elected  Vice-President, 
Dr.  Spaeth  was  very  cautious  in  endorsing  him  fully, 
suspecting  "Jingoism"  in  his  political  tendencies.  After 
he  became  President,  the  same  friend  to  whom  Dr. 
Spaeth  had  spoken  on  the  subject,  asked  him,  "What  do 
you  think  of  Roosevelt  now?"  and  received  the  impulsive 
answer,  "I  love  him !"  This  affectionate  attitude  shows 
very  plainly  all  through  the  article  in  the  Lutheran  of 
April  14,  1910,  King,  Pope,  Ex-President  and  Metho- 


MR.  ROOSEVELT  AND  THE  VATICAN  265 

dism,  which  explains  how  the  American  "enfant  terrible" 
planned  a  delightful  interview  with  His  Majesty  of  Italy 
and  the  Holy  Father  together,  and  also  why  he  failed  to 
attain  his  desire.  Even  his  alternate  proposal,  to  see 
the  King  on  Monday  and  the  Pope  on  Tuesday,  "was  not 
to  be  thought  of  in  the  Vatican."  "The  King  first,  and 
the  Pope  second!  Ah!  there  was  the  rub!  The  moon 
first,  and  the  sun  second !  A  visit  to  the  Pantheon,  after 
the  King's  audience,  and  a  wreath  deposited  at  the  tomb 
of  Victor  Emanuel  I.,  the  'Robber  King,'  the  'Arch- 
Banditto'  as  he  is  styled  in  the  Vatican,  and  then  a  visit 
to  the  Pope,  the  very  victim  of  that  King's  spoliation! 
It  would  have  meant  the  surrender  of  all  the  principles 
contended  for,  during  these  last  forty  years. 

"It  was  surely  a  most  perplexing  situation  for  the 
diplomats  of  the  Pontiff's  court.  It  would  never  in  the 
world  have  done  to  state  the  real  difficulty.  But  if  the 
appearance  could  be  created  of  placing  him  under  cer- 
tain conditions,  putting  him,  so  to  speak,  on  his  good 
behavior,  the  fearless  Nimrod  would  at  once  become 
recalcitrant,  and  the  Vatican  would  be  relieved  from 
this  embarrassing  complication.  And  here  comes  in — 
Methodism,  as  a  veritable  dens  ex  machina,  for  King, 
Pope  and  Ex-President!  The  'Holy  Father  hopes  that 
nothing  will  arise  to  prevent  the  audience,  such  as  the 
much  regretted  incident  which  made  the  reception  of 
Mr.  Fairbanks  impossible.'  This  gratuitous  introduction 
of  the  Methodist  embroglio  in  Mr.  Fairbanks'  case,  was 
absolutely  uncalled  for  in  connection  with  Mr.  Roosevelt. 
He  was  no  Methodist.  .  .  .  The  Vatican  diplomats 
were  well  aware  what  effect  such  a  statement  must  have 
on  a  character  like  Theodore  Roosevelt.  It  was  an  ex- 
ceedingly clever  trick  to  make  the  Methodists  both  the 
scapegoat  and  the  big  stick,  to  put  an  end  to  his  Papal 
audience  after  his  demonstrative  visit  in  the  Quirinal. 

"It  might  be  well  for  our  Ex-President,  in  the  light 


266  IN  THE  CHURCH  AT  LARGE 

of  his  recent  Roman  experiences,  once  more  to  read 
over  a  certain  letter,  addressed  to  him  by  Lutheran 
pastors  in  December,  1908.  He  will  now  be  better  pre- 
pared to  realize  the  true  character  of  the  Roman  Hier- 
archy, as  presented  to  him  in  that  letter,  with  abundant 
historical  evidence.  He  might  even  be  ready  to  under- 
stand now,  that  the  'Vicar  of  Christ'  in  Rome  who  calls 
himself  the  'servant  of  servants'  claims,  in  fact,  to  be 
the  Ruler  of  rulers,  in  the  monarchies  of  the  old  world 
as  well  as  in  the  republics  of  America." 

An  editorial  in  the  following  Lutheran  states  that  Dr. 
Spaeth's  prophetic  revelation  of  the  Vatican's  real  atti- 
tude toward  Mr.  Roosevelt's  reception,  has  been  sus- 
tained by  the  official  announcement,  that  the  Vatican 
"did  not  wish  Mr.  Roosevelt  to  bracket  the  Pope  with 
other  more  or  less  royal  personages  he  will  boast  of 
having  hunted  in  Europe,  after  his  African  hunt." 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

1864-IOIO 

Wir  sind  nicht  hier,  um  eine  abgesonderte  deutsche 
Nationalitaet  zu  bilden,  sondern,  um  zur  Bildung  der 
grossen  amerikanischen  Nation  unseren  Antheil  red- 
lich  beizutragen.  Wir  haben  als  Deutschgeborene 
sehr  werthvolle  Charactereigenschaften  mit  uns  in 
dieses  Land  gebracht.  Bilden  wir  aber  uns  nicht  ein, 
dass  wir  als  die  idealen  Mustermenschen  herueber 
gekommen  sind,  dass  wir  hier  nicht  viel  zu  lernen  ha- 
ben  Verhehlen  wir  uns  nicht,  dass 

wiri  urn  als  amerikanische  Buerger  das  zu  werden 
was  wir  sein  sollen,  durch  einen  Prozess  zu  gehen 

haben, einen  Amerikanisierungs-Prozess, 

der  keineswegs  in  einer  vollstaendigen  Entdeutschung 
besteht,  sondern  darin,  dass  wir  das  Beste  des 
deutschen  National-Characters  bewahren  und  es 
durch  die  Annahme  des  Besten  des  amerikanischen 
National-Characters    ergaenzen.— Carl    Schurz. 

These  words  of  the  "greatest  German-American" 
quoted  by  Dr.  Spaeth  in  whole  or  in  part,  more  than 
once,  define  his  position  perfectly:  the  persistent  love 
and  veneration  due  to  his  Mother,  Germany,  which  in 
no  wise  conflict  with  the  love  and  loyalty  due  to  his 
Bride,  America. 

WE  ARE  NOT  HERE  TO   FOUND  A   NEW 
GERMAN   NATION 

"In  externals  the  first  German  immigration  under 
Pastorius  was  truly  a  wretched  and  beggarly  beginning. 
Industrious  workers,  artisans  and   farmers  these  men 
267 


268  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

undoubtedly  were;  just,  peaceable,  upright,  easy  to  live 
with;  but  not  specially  gifted  intellectually — in  spite  of 
Pastorius  and  his  'Beehive'  * — and  withal  very  remark- 
able Saints,  with  their  hermits  and  cloister-communities. 
Verily  their  history  is  a  cabinet  of  curios  for  the  col- 
lector, rather  than  the  archives  of  epoch-making  events. 
But  even  if  it  were  a  wretched  beginning,  that  first  im- 
migration was  a  spring  of  powerful  vitality,  destined  to 
flow  without  ceasing  down  the  centuries  to  this  day, 
and  to  give  to  the  new  composite  nationality  of  America 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  its  best  sons. 

"By  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  stream 
of  German  immigration  had  attained  such  proportions 
that  the  English  speaking  colonists  of  Pennsylvania  were 
seriously  concerned  for  the  future  of  their  mother 
tongue.  On  a  very  moderate  computation  the  Germans 
in  Pennsylvania  at  that  time  numbered  90,000  out  of  a 
total  population  of  about  190,000.  The  well  known  Dr. 
William  Smith,  first  Provost  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, feared  that  the  Legislature  would  be  forced  to 
engage  an  official  interpreter,  in  order  that  one-half  of 
the  law-givers  might  be  able  to  understand  the  other 
half!  Even  Benjamin  Franklin,  otherwise  so  sensible, 
so  cool  and  sound  in  his  judgment,  was  for  a  time  in- 
fected by  this  Germanophobia.  In  1751  he  wrote:  'Why 
should  the  Palatinate  boors  be  allowed  to  swarm  into  our 
settlements,  and,  by  herding  together,  establish  their 
language  and  manners  to  the  exclusion  of  ours?  Why 
should  Pennsylvania,  founded  by  the  English,  become  a 

*  Pastorius  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  eight  languages,  had 
published  seven  books,  and  left  43  in  Ms.  A  list  of  their  titles  is 
contained  in  the  "Beehive,"  a  large  folio  compiled  by  Pastorius 
for  his  children,  a  cyclopedia  of  useful  knowledge,  especially  con- 
cerning religion,  ethics,  language,  history  and  biography.  It  con- 
tained also  many  inscriptions,  epitaphs,  proverbs,  poems  and  enig- 
mas, his  own  or  selected.  Pastorius  remarked  that  in  1676  his 
hive  "enclosed  about  2,000  little  honeycombs." 


MISSION  OF  GERMANS  IN  AMERICA  269 

colony  of  aliens  who  will  shortly  be  so  numerous  as  to 
Germanize  us,  instead  of  our  Anglicizing  them?' 
Franklin  was  wise  enough  afterwards  to  see  the  mistake 
he  had  made  in  his  unfriendly  estimate  of  the  German 
element,  and  publicly  acknowledged  the  usefulness  and 
blessing  of  the  German  immigration  to  the  Province  of 
Pennsylvania. 

"A  century  later  one  of  our  German  pastors,  Rev. 
Georg  Carl  Holls,  formulated  this  problem  so  concisely 
and  strikingly,  that  in  1902  the  Report  of  the  United 
States  Commissioner  of  Education  quoted  him  literally: 
'We  hear  so  much  of  the  so-called  mission  of  the  Ger- 
mans in  America.  In  my  opinion  the  first  mission  of  the 
Germans  in  this  country  is  to  become  Americans.  It 
is  their  duty  as  well  as  their  privilege,  to  enter  deeply, 
heartily  and  with  all  the  fervor  and  steadfastness  of 
Teutonic  manhood  into  the  current  of  American  re- 
ligious, political  and  social  life.  There  is  no  room  in 
this  country  for  a  German  nation  beside  an  American 
nation,  and  if  there  were,  neither  this  country  nor  the 
Germans  would  be  the  gainer  by  the  establishment  of 
one.'  "  (Festrede,  October  6,  1908.)  * 

WE  ARE  TO  HELP  IN  BUILDING  UP  THE 
AMERICAN    NATION 

"The  German  race  has  surely  a  higher  destiny  than 
merely  to  form  an  exceptionally  good  fertilizer  for  the 
field  of  the  American  nation.  We  respect  all  that  the 
diligence,  the  endurance,  the  brawn  and  brain  of  German 
workers  have  accomplished  in  this  country,  in  agriculture 
and  the  industries.    What  would  that  part  of  our  United 

*  Where  Dr.  Spaeth's  miscellaneous  Addresses  and  Festreden  have 
not  been  published  in  full,  these  extracts  are  made  from  reports 
by  the  daily  press,  preserved  by  him,  and  carefully  corrected  and 
annotated  by  his  own  hand. 


270  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

States  be,  from  Pennsylvania  to  the  Basin  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, the  granary  of  the  world,  without  the  conservative 
German  farmer,  who  does  not  exhaust  the  virgin  soil 
by  careless  tillage,  but  who  loves  his  work  and  strives, 
by  wise  and  patient  labor,  to  cultivate  his  acres  so  that 
they  may  increase  in  value  and  usefulness ! 

"Nor  do  we  forget  what  a  gallant  part  the  brave 
German  spirit  and  the  strong  German  fist  have  always 
taken  in  the  national  and  political  struggles  of  our  Re- 
public ;  in  her  early  difficulties,  as  well  as  in  her  gigantic 
battle  for  self-preservation.  On  the  eve  of  the  Revolu- 
tion an  appeal  was  sent  out  from  Philadelphia  to  the 
Germans  in  the  other  colonies  which  bears  witness  to 
the  burning  patriotism  of  the  Germans  in  Pennsylvania. 
This  document  of  forty  pages,  of  which  only  two  copies 
are  still  in  existence,  bears  the  title:  'Schreiben  des 
Evangelisch-Lutherischen  u.  des  Reformirten  Kirchen- 
raths,  wie  auch  der  Beamten  der  Teutschen  Gesellschaft 
in  der  Stadt  Philadelphia,  an  die  deutschen  Einwohner 
der  Provinzen  New  York  und  Carolina.  Philadelphia, 
1775.'  In  it  is  stated  that  everywhere  in  Pennsylvania 
bands  of  militia  are  forming  among  the  Germans,  and 
a  picked  troop  of  sharp  shooters  stand  ready  to  march; 
and  that  those  who  are  not  fit  for  military  service  wil- 
lingly contribute  to  support  the  good  cause.  The 
Germans  throughout  the  land  are  called  upon  to  join 
the  national  movement,  and  to  rise  against  the  despotism 
and  oppression  of  the  British  government. 

"But  of  far  greater  value  in  our  estimation  is  the 
part  which  the  Germans  have  taken  in  supplying  the 
spiritual  needs  of  our  people,  and  in  the  development  of 
a  higher  culture  among  them.  The  German  school, 
especially  the  German  parish-school  with  its  training  of 
heart  and  conscience,  has  done  a  great  work  for  mil- 
lions of  German  descent.  The  German  Universities  have 
furnished  us  Professors,  Pastors,  teachers  and  intellectual 


THE  FUTURE  OF  AMERICA  271 

leaders,  men  who  have  brought  rich  treasures  of  learning 
to  this  western  land.  German  libraries  have  found  their 
way  over  to  us.  American  wealth  has  secured  them  for 
America,  but  the  accurate  knowledge  of  German  scholars 
and  their  love  of  investigation  have  collected  them." 
(Festrede,  October  6,  1908.)  "These  collections  of 
books  are  not  merely  the  product  but  also  the  tools  of 
German  research  and  erudition.  They  represent  an 
enormous  intellectual  capital,  which,  if  rightly  employed, 
has  a  far  greater  value  for  the  future  of  our  land  than 
the  strong  sinewy  arms  of  our  German  laborers  and 
artisans.  We  may  be  sure  that  the  practical,  progressive 
American  has  not  transplanted  hither  such  valuable 
books,  for  the  sake  of  letting  them  grow  dusty  and  yellow 
in  handsome  alcoves  and  cases.  They  will  bear  rich 
fruit  in  the  culture  and  development  of  this  new  world." 
(Address  at  opening  of  the  Bechstein  Germanic  Library 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  March  21,  1896.) 

THE  OTHER  GERMANIC  BRANCHES 

"We  are  well  aware  that  in  this  country  we  have  to 
do  with  the  World's  Melting-pot  of  nationalities,  in 
which,  when  we  only  consider  abstract  right,  one  has 
just  as  much  to  say  as  another.  Nor  do  we  forget  that 
the  Romanic  and  Slavic  nations,  with  the  Germans, 
Scandinavians  and  Anglo-Saxons  all  belong  to  the  one 
Indo-European  family.  But  nevertheless  we  are  firmly 
convinced,  that  the  Germanic  element,  by  which  we  mean 
Scandinavians,  Anglo-Saxons  and  Germans,  together  will 
decide  the  future  of  America, — will  and  must  remain  its 
head  and  heart  if  it  is  to  fulfill  its  mission  in  the  world's 
history.  We  are  also  well  aware  of  the  tremendous  ad- 
vantage that  the  Anglo-Saxon  element  has  gained,  among 
these  three  branches,  in  the  history  of  our  land.  And 
we  have  no  reason  whatever  to  find  fault  with  this.    We 


272  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

have  it  to  thank  for  the  basis  of  our  constitutional  gov- 
ernment, its  parliamentary  usages,  its  democratic  form. 
We  have  it  to  thank  also  for  the  English  language,  which 
will  undoubtedly  always  remain  the  dominant  language 
in  America.  But  granting  all  that,  we  must  insist  that 
America  as  such  is  to  be  no  New  England,  any  more 
than  it  is  to  be  New  Sweden  or  New  Germany,  but  just 
America;  an  America,  however,  that  will  owe  its  true 
greatness,  its  freedom  and  culture  essentially  to  the 
Germanic  spirit."  (Address:  Opening  of  Bechstein 
Library. ) 

WHAT  THE  GERMANS  HAVE  BROUGHT  TO  AMERICA 

"The  modest  colony  under  Pastorius  has  become  a 
broad,  deep,  fertilizing  stream,  which  has  mightily  in- 
fluenced the  shaping  of  the  American  nation  and  its 
State  polity;  which  has  contributed  to  every  department 
of  its  achievement  or  aspiration  strong-armed,  clear- 
headed men,  earnest,  thoughtful  spirits,  true,  patriotic 
hearts,  on  which  the  Republic  of  the  United  States  may 
congratulate  itself,  and  of  which  the  German  American 
may  justly  be  proud.  Modesty  is  certainly  a  beautiful 
trait,  one  of  the  noblest  virtues,  where  the  worth  and 
accomplishment  of  the  individual  are  concerned.  But 
where  the  recognition  of  national  assets,  gifts  and  ad- 
vantages are  in  question,  of  what  we  as  a  race  have 
inherited  from  our  fathers,  there  modesty  has  its  limita- 
tions. I  may  and  must  be  conscious  of  what,  as  a  Ger- 
man, I  owe  to  my  German  home ;  to  her  atmosphere  and 
her  spirit;  to  her  history  and  culture;  to  her  poetry  and 
music ;  to  her  rich,  deep  character.  I  must  realize  what 
treasures  I  have  obtained  from  German  sources,  and 
brought  with  me  to  this  new  home  which  I  love  from 
my  heart;  whose  good  I  seek;  to  which  I  belong  as  a 
loyal  citizen,  with  all  that  I  am  and  have;  and  which  I 


t 


N 


^ 

■^ 

v 


ENGLISH  GLASSES  FOR  AMERICAN  EYES  273 

can  surely  serve  so  much  the  better,  the  more  faithfully 
I  maintain  and  guard  the  best  qualities  that  belong  to 
me  as  a  German. 

"The  leading  journals  of  England,  Russia,  France,  and 
not  a  few  even  of  our  American  papers,  seem  utterly  in- 
capable of  doing  justice  to  German  character,  German 
history,  the  mission  of  Germany,  and  what  she  has 
done.*  And  yet  it  is  a  marked  feature  of  German 
national  character,  objectively  and  impartially  to  admit 
the  good  points  of  other  nations,  and  to  credit  them  with 
all  that  is  really  fine  and  valuable.  So,  we  think,  it  is  a 
poor  rule  that  does  not  work  both  ways.  We  do  not  de- 
mand a  'Mutual  Admiration  Society.'  But,  as  German 
citizens  of  these  United  States  we  are  convinced, — and 
we  know  that  it  is  not  imagination  but  simple  historical 
fact — that  the  German  element  that  has  streamed  into 
this  country  for  more  than  two  hundred  years,  has  been 
not  a  detriment  but  a  great  blessing  to  our  land.  We 
know  that  we  love  and  cherish  our  new  home,  that  we 
agree  heartily  with  the  principles  on  which  the  Consti- 
tution of  this  Republic  rests.     And  just  as  our  love  be- 

*  "It  is  verily  no  credit  to  us  (Americans)  nor  is  it  a  blessing, 
if  we  look  at  all  the  world,  especially  at  European  complications, 
only  through  English  spectacles,  and  allow  the  Times  and  other 
Thunderers  on  the  Thames  to  prepare  for  us  (vorkauen!)  our 
judgment  on  the  happenings  of  the  day.  In  a  land  which  numbers 
among  its  inhabitants  ten,  or  perhaps  twenty  millions  of  pure 
German  descent,  it  should  be  looked  upon  as  a  matter  of  course 
that  every  able  newspaper  should  have  on  its  staff  men  who  can 
read  a  speech  in  the  Reichstag  at  Berlin  or  a  communication  from 
a  German  Minister  in  the  original,  and  translate  it  correctly  without 
English  intervention."  (Bechstein  Address.)  It  is  hardly  credible 
that  a  few  years  before  this  suggestion  was  made  a  prominent 
journal  in  New  York  could  print  seriously : 

"Wer  nie  fein  Brod  mit  Traechnen  azz, 
Wer  nie  die  kumpelvollon  naechte, 
Auf   seinem    Bedde   vienand   sazz, 
Der    kaemmt    euch    nicht,    Ihr    himmlischen    Maegde." 


274  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

longs  to  this  new  home,  the  Fatherland  of  our  children, 
so  we  desire  on  the  part  of  our  new  fatherland — not 
cheap  compliments  of  the  politicians,*  but  the  honest, 
well-grounded  esteem  of  the  best  among  our  fellow- 
citizens."    (Festrede,  October  6,  1900.) 

WE    NEED    NOT    BE    DE-GERMANIZED,    BUT    MUST    BECOME 
AMERICANIZED 

"I  am  a  German  in  America,  and  as  such  'Nihil  Ger- 
mani  a  me  alienum  puto.'  To  prepare  the  way  for  a 
real  mutual  understanding  between  America  and  the 
German  spirit  and  to  help  in  bringing  it  about,  has  al- 
ways seemed  to  me  a  task  worthy  of  the  noblest  minds. 

.  .  .  How  shall  we  best  contribute  to  this  end? 
First  of  all  by  showing  an  appreciative  love  for  this 
country,  for  its  people  and  their  position  in  the  world's 
history;  not  by  hasty  criticism  of  things  which  seem  to 
us  at  first  strange  and  new,  but  by  kindly  sympathy  with 
the  peculiar  nature  and  conditions  of  this  land,  and  its 
people,  and  the  problems  set  before  them.  But  the 
German  who  comes  to  America  must  do  so  with  the 
honest  intention  to  become  a  bona  fide  American.  We 
must  do  justice  to  all  that  is  truly  great  and  good  in 
the  institutions,  the  customs,  the  character  of  the  new 
home.  It  is  the  special  gift  of  Germans  to  understand 
the  peculiarities  of  others,  to  put  themselves  in  their 

place f     This  gift,  in  excess,  may  easily 

become  a  weak  side  of  the  national  character,  when  the 
interest  of  the  Germans  in  anything,  and  their  apprecia- 

*  A  presidential  election  was  in  progress,  and  the  German  vote 
was  of  great  importance. 

t  This  accounts  for  the  wealth  and  perfection  of  translations  into 
German  in  every  department  of  the  world's  literature,  especially  of 
the  English.  In  no  country  is  Shakspere  so  at  home,  as  in 
Germany."     (Same  Address.) 


THE  ABSORPTION  OF  THE  IMMIGRANT  275 

tion  of  it,  are  in  direct  proportion  to  its  distance  or 
exoticism.  (Fremdartigkeit.)  And  yet,  this  trait  of  the 
German  character  is  a  strong  point  when  the  entrance 
on  a  new  world  is  involved,  including  the  necessary 
absorption  into  its  national  life.  In  this  connection  I 
may  also  refer  to  the  sound  historical  sense  which  dis- 
tinguishes the  German  above  all  others,  ....  and 
which  especially  fits  him  to  understand  America  with  its 
historical  development,  its  problem  in  the  world's  history, 
— and  to  devote  himself  with  enthusiasm  to  the  land  of 
his  adoption.  Only  when  we  have  so  appropriated  the 
specific  character  of  this  new  world, — and  to  this  the 
full  possession  of  the  English  language  must  be  reckoned 
— can  our  own  gifts  become  influential."  (Address:  Der 
deutsche  Paedagoge,  delivered  in  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  before  the  National  Association  of 
German- American  Teachers,   1900.) 

"  'It  is  the  greatest  mistake  to  think  that  by  the  emi- 
gration of  so  many  of  her  sons  Germany  is  weakened, 
and  vast  numbers  are  lost  to  German  thought  and  feel- 
ing. That  which  is  best  in  German  thought  and  feeling 
is,  on  the  contrary,  strengthened  and  rejuvenated,  and 
receives  a  new  lease  of  life  in  a  wider  and  grander 
sphere,  by  being  absorbed  and  becoming  part  of  the 
thought  and  feeling  of  this  nation,  which  is  the  people 
of  the  future.' "  (G.  C.  Holls,  quoted  in  Festrede, 
October  6,  1908.) 

"The  real  question  of  our  country  was  not,  as  Franklin 
put  it,  whether  the  Germans  should  become  Anglicized 
or  the  English  Germanized ;  but,  whether  the  English  as 
well  as  the  Germans  should  become  Americanized,  and 
with  them  all  the  later  arrivals,  of  every  tongue  and 
nation,  from  the  ends  of  the  earth."  (Festrede,  October 
6,  1908.)  "Immigration  always  means  the  death  of  the 
immigrant's  nationality.  It  is  only  material  to  be  ab- 
sorbed in  the  greater  national  life  of  the  new  country. 


276  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

.  .  .  .  I  speak  as  a  German,  and  I  know  that  this 
death  of  one's  own  nationality  is  no  easy  thing.  It  is 
something  tragic,  something  pathetic,  and  yet,  from  the 
very  nature  of  the  case,  it  is  absolutely  necessary." 
(Sermon  at  G.  C.,  Fort  Wayne,  1893.) 

"We  older  ones,  Americans  who  were  born  and  raised 
in  Germany,  pass  through  the  same  double  experience 
as  Pastorius  did.*  With  all  our  love  to  our  new  home, 
we  feel  always  a  magnetic  attraction  to  the  land  where 
our  cradle  stood,  and  where  our  best  energies  are  so 
deeply  rooted.  But,  with  all  that  we  find  to  enjoy  there, 
how  mightily  does  the  new  home  draw  us  back  again! 
When,  during  our  travels,  our  eye  falls  on  the  stars 
and  stripes,  in  the  Alps,  on  the  Rhine,  with  what  warmth 
of  heart  do  we  greet  them !  f  And  when  we  come  back, 
— yes,  when  we  come  home  to  the  land  that  is  now  our 
second  fatherland,  how  do  we  set  foot  on  American  soil 
with  fresh  courage,  and  take  up  again,  each  one  in  his 
calling,  the  work  appointed  to  us  here;  the  work  for 
which  God  has  prepared  us,  and  in  which  we  may  be- 
come a  blessing  to  our  Fatherland,  the  only  one  now, 
that  we  really  have."  After  referring  to  the  disadvan- 
tages under  which  most  immigrants  labor,  growing  out 
of  the  lack  of  English,  especially,  Dr.  Spaeth  continued: 
"But  what  has  been  denied  to  us,  more  or  less,  in  the 
first  generation,  we  must  try  to  become  to  our  country, 
fully  and  completely  in  our  children,  especially  in  our 

*Dr.  Spaeth  had  just  quoted  Pastorius'  poem  as  translated  by 
Whittier:    "Hail  to  Posterity!  ....  Farewell  dear  Germany!" 

t  In  the  summer  of  1879  Dr.  Spaeth  was  driving  with  his  brother 
and  other  German  relatives  over  a  narrow  mountain  road,  when 
they  passed  a  carriage  full  of  tourists,  who  had  decorated  their 
equipage  with  a  small  American  flag.  He  rose,  waved  his  hat,  with 
a  "Hurrah  for  the  Stars  and  Stripes!"  upon  which  the  strangers 
also  rose,  and  woke  the  echoes  with  a  mighty  cheer.  "Such  an 
enthusiasm  for  the  flag  we  never  saw !"  said  his  astonished  com- 
panions. 


DR.  DALTON  AND  THE  LANGUAGE  QUESTION      2Tjj 

sons.  We  must  give  them  the  valuable  double  equipment, 
the  language  and  culture  which  the  father  brought  with 
him, — and  of  which  the  son  has  verily  no  need  to 
be  ashamed, — and  the  English  language  and  training, 
which  will  make  them,  as  American  citizens,  a  blessing 
to  the  land  of  their  birth.  So  shall  the  difficult  problem 
of  the  blending  of  national  characteristics  be  solved,  and 
a  goodly  heritage  secured  to  our  country  for  all  coming 
generations."  (Festrede,  October  6,  1901.) 

THE  LANGUAGE  QUESTION  AND  THE  GERMAN  j 

LANGUAGE 

Many  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  clerical  brethren  did  not  share 
his  broad-minded  attitude  toward  America,  and  showed 
their  German  fealty  only  too  often  by  suspicion  and  dis- 
trust of  everything  English.  In  an  article  written  by 
the  distinguished  German  (Reformed)  theologian,  Dr. 
H.  Dalton,  the  dedication  of  the  Mt.  Airy  Seminary  at 
the  opening  of  the  new  dormitory  (1889)  is  described. 
After  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  charming  October  day, 
the  fine  location  and  natural  advantages  of  the  Seminary, 
and  to  the  enthusiasm  of  the  great  assembly  gathered 
on  the  campus,  he  says:  "An  attentive  eye  and  ear 
could  detect  a  light  undercurrent  of  feeling,  denoting  a 
crisis  not  yet  passed,  but  rather  showing  itself  just  now, 
in  renewed  strength  and  vigor.  It  is  the  serious 
Language  Question,  which  seems  destined  to  form  an 
important  issue  in  this  particular  branch  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  America.  The  question  goes  deeper  than  the 
mere  fact  of  the  continually  growing  gain  of  the  English 
language  over  the  German,  and  how  best  to  resist  it,  or, 
more  wisely,  to  accommodate  ourselves  to  it.  How  far 
will  it  be  possible,  in  giving  up  the  German  language, 
to  retain  a  warm,  vital  contact  with  the  German  Re- 
former?    The  Church  named  after  him  has  clung  to 


278  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

this  most  German  of  Germans,  in  closest  living  connec- 
tion. If  now,  a  daughter  of  this  Church,  transplanted 
from  German  soil,  finds  herself  compelled  to  relinquish 
the  German  language,  will  not  the  sympathy  and  under- 
standing for  this  strongly  stamped  personality,  which 
the  Church  has  so  tenaciously  preserved,  gradually  dis- 
appear ? 

"Dr.  Spaeth,  President  of  the  General  Council,  was 

the  last  speaker  in  the  forenoon He  is  too 

frank  and  independent  a  nature  not  to  lay  his  finger 
quite  openly  on  the  tender  point  of  the  approaching  crisis. 
He  spoke  German,  and  his  address  showed  him  to  be 
a  German  through  and  through;  and  yet  it  emphasized 
most  decidedly  the  necessity  of  keeping  our  eyes  open  to 
the  encroachment  of  the  English  language,  and  of  meet- 
ing the  inevitable  destiny  like  men.  He  spoke  severely 
of  those  German  families  who  quickly  throw  overboard 
their  German  heritage  and  the  mother  tongue  together, 
and  cannot  rapidly  enough  become  Americanized  in  their 
homes  and  in  the  bringing  up  of  their  children.  If  the 
family  grows  up  with  no  language  but  the  English,  it  is 
the  duty  of  the  Church  to  reckon  with  this  fact, — a 
deplorable  fact  as  the  speaker  considered  it.  It  is  worthy 
of  note  that  this  decided  champion  of  the  course  taken 
by  the  General  Council,*  in  his  own  house,  among  his 

*  Dr.  Dalton  apparently  refers  to  the  effort  to  co-ordinate  Eng- 
lish and  German  in  the  Seminary.  Or  he  may  have  in  mind  the 
session  of  the  General  Council  in  Chicago,  1886,  when,  in  deference 
to  the  Swedish  delegations,  the  English  language  was  accepted  as 
common  ground  for  all  members.  W.  K.  F.  wrote  soon  after  this 
meeting:  "In  a  mixed  assembly  like  the  Council,  linguistic  pre- 
ferences, as  well  as  national  prejudices,  must  be  resolutely  cast 
aside.  Dr.  Spaeth  has  set  a  good  example.  His  opening  sermon 
was  in  English,  not,  let  us  believe,  because  the  Council  met  in 
an  English  church,  but  because  in  German  the  sermon  would  have 
failed  to  be  understood  by  the  Council  as  a  whole.  The  Doctor 
also,  especially  after  he  learned  of  the  difficulties  of  the  Swedish 


GERMAN  LANGUAGE  AND  CULTURE  279 

large  family  of  children,  admits  only  the  German 
language  as  mother  tongue,  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  it  has  forced  both  of  his  wives  to  use  a  language 
in  which  they  were  not  entirely  at  home." 

In  his  address:  Der  deutsche  Paedagoge  in  America, 
Dr.  Spaeth  speaks  of  the  German  language  thus:  "It 
may  seem  superfluous  to  urge  an  assembly  of  German 
teachers  not  to  neglect  the  cultivation  of  their  mother 
tongue,  for  their  work  in  this  new  home.  But  I  am 
not  speaking  now  of  German  as  taught  in  schools  or 
institutions  with  which  we  may  happen  to  be  connected, 
or  as  the  means  of  communication  in  the  family.  I 
have  in  mind  the  cultivation  of  German,  the  ever  deepen- 
ing research  into  the  inexhaustible  richness  of  our  mother 
tongue,  for  the  sake  of  our  personal  culture,  for  the 
preservation  of  the  good  qualities  and  gifts  which  we, 
as  Germans,  have  brought  with  us,  and  with  which  we 
may  do  our  little  part  in  improving  and  elevating  our 
new  home.  Many  of  you  will  understand  me  when  I 
say  from  my  own  experience:  the  more  I  am  forced  to 
use  English  in  my  public  occupations  so  much  the  more 
necessary  do  I  find  it,  from  year  to  year,  to  become  more 
absorbed  in  my  dear  mother  tongue,  to  go  more  deeply 
into  her  spirit  and  essence.  Therein  lies  for  us,  a  prime 
factor  in  our  conservation  as  true  Germans  in  the  best 
sense." 

Dr.  Spaeth's  Swabian  origin,  and  his  sense  of  humor 
made  him  very  appreciative  of  genuine  dialect.  He 
read  Plattdeutsch  for  his  own  entertainment,  but  those 
who  ever  heard  him  read  a  Schwaebische  Geschichte 
aloud,  would  not  soon  forget  it.  Even  negro  dialect  he 
could  enjoy,  if  well  read,  but  woe  to  anyone  who  quoted 

delegates,  not  only  repeated  in  English  motions  made  originally  in 
German,  but  also  took  pains  to  re-state  in  both  languages,  motions 
made  in  English." 


280  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

Hans  Breitmann  with  humorous  intention !    For  him  and 
his  kind  he  had  nothing  but  profound  contempt. 

DR.   SPAETH  AS  AN  AMERICAN   CITIZEN 

In  1885  Dr.  Spaeth  took  out  his  naturalization  papers, 
and  thenceforth  performed  his  duty  as  citizen  with  the 
same  thoroughness  and  conscientiousness  that  character- 
ized all  that  he  did.  He  voted  according  to  his  convic- 
tion rather  than  on  party  lines,  in  the  ward  as  faithfully 
as  in  a  presidential  election.  To  the  best  interests  of 
Philadelphia,  his  first  and  last  home  in  America,  he  was 
keenly  alive,  and  his  name  was  often  found  on  commit- 
tees for  some  public  service,  or  among  prominent  men 
in  social  gatherings.  In  addition  to  German  papers  he 
read  the  Public  Ledger  daily,  sometimes  with  a  wrath 
which  boiled  over  now  and  then;  as  in  an  item  that  he 
wrote  on  the  Subig  Bay  incident,  or  when  the  uncurbed 
skittishness  of  the  "War  Lord"  (at  forty  years  or  more) 
was  unduly  emphasized.  To  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania which,  in  its  history  and  growth,  has  kept  pace 
with  Philadelphia,  his  relations  were  always  very  cordial. 
From  it  he  received  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in 
1875,  and  two  of  his  sons  are  among  its  Alumni.  The 
position  of  Chaplain  was  offered  to  him  while  he  was 
in  Capri,  and  again  after  his  return  to  America,  but  his 
many  engagements  obliged  him  to  decline  this  honor. 
Two  of  his  best  non-political  addresses  were  delivered 
in  its  halls,  and  on  one  occasion  he  made  the  opening 
prayer  and  gave  the  Benediction  at  Commencement.  On 
February  22,  1905,  the  Diary  notes:  "I  went  to  the 
Academy  of  Music  to  the  celebration  of  University  Day 
on  Washington's  Birthday,  where  the  President  of  the 
United  States  and  the  German  Kaiser  were  made  LL.  D. 
It  was  an  imposing  ceremony,  and  the  Hurrahs  for  the 
'Emperor'  left  nothing  to  be  desired !" 


ADDRESS  AT   PHI   BETA   KAPPA   BANQUET        281 

June  19,  1907,  Dr.  Spaeth  was  made  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society,*  in  recognition 
of  his  scholarly  and  literary  eminence.  At  the  banquet 
given  on  this  occasion  by  the  University  Chapter,  "his 
address  was  the  feature  of  the  evening.  He  spoke  in  a 
delightfully  reminiscent  vein  of  his  Tuebingen  days,  re- 
ferred to  his  ties  with  the  University  through  Dr.  Krauth, 
and  then  dwelt  on  the  intimate  relation  between  theology 
and  learning,  and  the  debt  that  universities  and  scholar- 
ship owe  to  theology.  His  humor,  his  personal  charm, 
his  youthful  enthusiasm,  and  the  genuine  eloquence  and 
fervor  of  his  close  completely  captivated  his  audience. 
A  noted  after-dinner  speaker  said  to  me  later:  'That 
was  the  best  speech  I  ever  heard.  Can  your  father  talk 
as  well  as  that  in  German?'  "  (J.  D.  S.) 

LINCOLN  AND  BISMARCK 

As  a  very  young  man  Pastor  Spaeth  had  said:  "Lin- 
coln made  me  an  American!"  His  first  public  address, 
as  distinguished  from  regular  sermons,  was  the  oration 
on  the  death  of  Lincoln,  delivered  in  Zion's  church.  His 
last  lecture,  in  the  hall  of  the  German  Society,  was  on 
Lincoln  and  Bismarck,  (February  12,  1910.)  His  ad- 
miration for  the  .Great  Chancellor  is  well  known,  but 
going  home  after  this  lecture  he  said:  "Now  that  I 
have  studied  these  two  men  side  by  side,  I  place  Lincoln 
first !"  In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  find,  in  the 
address  of  Carl  Schurz  at  the  great  memorial  to  Bismarck 
(New  York,  October  18,  1898),  these  words:  "We 
cannot  speak  of  Bismarck  as  a  man  of  the  people  in  the 

*  Among  other  Societies  of  which  he  was  a  member  may  be 
mentioned:  the  American  Historical  Association;  the  American 
Society  of  Church  History,  1907;  the  Historical  Academy  of  the 
Lutheran  Church ;  the  Association  for  the  Study  of  the  History 
of  the  Reformation,  Dr.  J.  Koestlin  of  Halle,  President;  and 
Der   Allgemeine    Deutsche-Sprachverein. 


282  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

same  sense  in  which  we  apply  this  title  to  our  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Not  that  he  was  lacking  in  a  warm  feeling 
for  his  fellow-men;  but  he  did  not  believe  in  the  ability 
of  the  people  to  govern  themselves.  Neither  his  political 
views  nor  his  methods  of  governing  were  adapted  to 
the  building  up  of  a  free  state,  or  to  the  development 
of  self-government  in  a  people." 

CARL    SCHURZ 

It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that,  even  as  a  child, 
Adolph  Spaeth  was  familiar  with  this  name,  with  the 
daring  escape  from  Rastatt,  and  the  still  more  daring 
return  to  rescue  Gottfried  Kinkel.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
his  admiration  for  Schurz  as  a  man  and  an  orator  dates 
back  to  the  very  beginning  of  his  own  life  in  America. 
His  Memorial  Address,  October  6,  1906,  contains  the 
following  characterization  of  Carl  Schurz.  "For  more 
than  forty  years  I  have  looked  up  to  this  man  with  sin- 
cere admiration Only  in  the  later  years  of 

his  life  did  I  have  the  great  pleasure  of  coming  nearer 
to  him  personally,  and  of  exchanging  ideas  with  him  in 
conversation  *  and  by  letter.  How  could  it  be  otherwise 
than  that  my  feeling  toward  this  revered  man  grew 
always  warmer,  the  more  fully  the  picture  of  him  was 
unveiled:  an  earnest,  upright,  solid  German,  richly  en- 
dowed, broad  in  culture,  a  superior  nature,  with  eye  and 
ear  open  to  all  that  was  beautiful  and  genuine,  with  a 
warm  faithful  heart,  glowing  in  devotion  to  his  ideal  of 
freedom  and  right;  a  man  who,  when  his  path  led  him 
to  this  land,  set  his  whole  energy  not  merely  on  becoming 

*  In  1899  he  writes:  "A  few  weeks  ago  I  had  the  honor  and 
pleasure  of  an  invitation  from  our  University  Club  to  dine  with 
Carl  Schurz.  The  host  placed  me  at  Schurz's  right  hand,  so  that 
I  could  enjoy  his  brilliant  and  interesting  conversation  all  evening." 
(A.  S.  to  E.  W.) 


CARL  SCHURZ  283 

something  and  winning  something  for  himself  in  this 
new  world,  but,  above  all,  on  serving  his  new  fatherland 
with  his  great  talents,  with  all  his  acquirements,  with 
the  uncompromising  firmness  of  his  German  conscience. 
"In  the  whole  history  of  our  country  I  do  not  know 
another  important  leader  who  can  compare  with  our 
Carl  Schurz  in  genuine,  fine,  comprehensive  culture,  in 
breadth  of  view,  in  stern  morality,  and  in  true  states- 
manly  wisdom He  was  an  Idealist  m  the 

best  sense  of  that  word,  but  at  the  same  time  a  Realist, 
who,  with  tireless  energy,  fearless  and  mdomitab  e, 
sought  to  bring  his  ideal  into  practical  life,  and  to  make 
it  tell  there."  After  giving  a  sketch  of  Schurz  s  early 
life  of  his  devotion  to  his  teacher-friend  Kmkel,  and 
the 'romantic  rescue  from  Spandau,  Dr.  Spaeth  spoke 
of  an  interview  seventeen  years  later,  between  Schurz 
and  Bismarck.  'They  talked  together,  pleasantly  and 
informally,  and  Bismarck  asked  Schurz  to  tell  him  a 
about  this  escapade.  Anyone  who  knows  Bismarck  will 
not  be  surprised  that  he  was  highly  entertained  by  the 
story  and  that  when  it  was  finished  the  Great  Chancellor 
confessed:     'In  your  place  I  should  have  done  exactly 

the  same  thing!'  "  ,!_•••* 

The  story  of  Schurz's  life  in  London,  where  his  inter- 
course with  hundreds  of  exiles  from  all  countries  of 
Europe,  many  of  them  dreamers  or  fanatics,  soon  con- 
vinced him  that  there  is  something  better  in  this  world 
than  "Castles  of  theory  on  foundations  of  fog  (C.  P. 
K  )  his  emigration  to  America,  his  speedy  and  wonder- 
ful mastery  of  the  English  language,  his  political  career 
are  all  well  known  or  easily  accessible  facts  on  which 
we  need  not  dwell.  Not  so  readily  accessible  are  the 
tributes  of  the  current  press  immediately  after  his  death, 
which  Dr.  Spaeth  considered  worth  preserving.  In 
the  choice  of  an  Ideal  there  was  given  to  him  the  rare 
almost  unique,  experience,  of  cherishing  to  the  end  of 


284  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

his  long  life  that  for  which  he  had  fought  in  his  youth 
and  in  the  fulness  of  his  mature  powers."  "Notwith- 
standing his  achievements  in  public  place,  it  is  a  question 
if  his  greatest  influence  was  not  due  to  his  lofty  concep- 
tion of  citizenship,  to  the  upholding  of  which  he  devoted 
his  splendid  energies."  "He  had  an  unconquerable  pro- 
pensity for  the  right  side  in  morals  and  in  politics."  "As 
a  citizen  he  was  a  power  for  the  cause  he  deemed  right, 
and  when  he  found  that  changing  circumstances  had 
made  necessary  a  change  of  attitude,  without  weak 
apology  he  changed  his  mind,  and  was  ready  to  defend 
his  course."  *  "The  party  was  to  him  always  the  means 
to  an  end,  never  the  end  itself."  "If  we  were  to  match 
Schurz's  career  with  that  of  any  other  man  from  Con- 
tinental Europe  who  came  hither  full  grown  and  became 
a  power  in  American  politics,  we  would  need  to  go  back 
to  the  time  of  Albert  Gallatin."  f 

IMPERIALISM 

June  20,  1899.  "The  course  of  our  American  history 
during  the  past  year,  with  the  'imperialist'  fever  which 
has  seized  the  popular  masses  has  been  and  still  is,  a 
great  cross  to  me.  My  love  and  respect  for  America 
and  my  high  opinion  of  her  mission  in  the  world's 
history  have  been  hard  hit  by  this  development.  Es- 
pecially do  I  consider  the  attempt  to  keep  the  Philippines 
under  American  control  by  force,  a  betrayal  of  all  the 

*  "A  false  pride  of  consistency  is  the  surest  mark  of  a  little, 
opinionated  pragmatist,  of  the  dumb  watch  among  thinkers, 
whose  hands  are  fixed  at  one,  and  who  keeps  them  there  be- 
cause he  has  no  spring  within  him  to  move  them." — (C.  P.  K.) 

t  Born  at  Geneva  1761,  emigrated  1780,  died  in  Astoria,  N.  Y. 
1849.  Member  of  Congress,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Minister 
to  France  and  to  England,  one  of  the  American  Commissioners  at 
the  Treaty  of  Ghent;  author  of  various  political  and  ethnological 
works,  one  of  the  greatest  financiers  of  the  age. 


POLITICAL   STANDARDS   IN   AMERICA  285 

admonitions  in  the  world's  history,  and  of  the  principles 
which  have  made  America  great.  The  ripest,  most  cul- 
tivated men  of  our  land  are  indeed  nearly  all  opposed 
to  the  course  things  have  taken,  but  the  noise  of  the 
chauvinistic  daily  papers  drowns  every  quiet,  thoughtful 

word  of  the  better  element What  provokes 

and  alarms  me  most  in  this  rage  for  expansion  that  is 
now  the  fashion  among  us,  is  the  fact  that  the  average 
American  is  lacking  in  two  things  which  seem  to  me  in- 
dispensable in  a  mission  that  concerns  the  history  of  the 
world,  first,  a  proper  historical  education  to  enable  him 
to  understand  what  is  going  on,  in  the  great  theatre 
of  the  world,  and  then  at  least  a  moderate  pedagogical 
fitness  to  undertake  the  instruction  of  the  public.  But 
the  American  knows  everything,  according  to  his  own 
opinion,  and,  from  the  proverb:  'He  to  whom  God 
gives  an  office,  gets  understanding  with  it,'  draws  the 
sweeping  conclusion  that  he  who  takes  an  office,  will 
somehow  find  the  needful  understanding  for  it!"  (A.  S. 
to  E.  W.)  March  26,  1900.  "Our  political  and  national 
'developments'  are  substantially  as  lamentable  as  ever. 

.  .  .  .  The  standards  of  our  average  politician 
are  not  any  principles  of  international  law,  not  even  the 
interest  of  our  country  as  a  whole,  but  simply  the  in- 
terests and  prospects  of  his  own  party.  At  present  his 
views  are  determined  first  by  the  coming  presidential 
election,  and  then  by  the  moneyed  interest  of  the  ruling 
Trust  Aristocracy,  which  influences  all  our  legislation, 
national  as  well  as  state. 

"A  few  weeks  ago,  on  Washington's  Birthday  I  heard 
another  excellent  speech  of  Carl  Schurz,  in  which  he 
held  up  the  political  principles  and  ideals  of  Washington 
and  Lincoln  as  a  mirror  for  our  own  time.  The  saddest 
thing  about  our  present  zeal  for  party  is,  that  for  a  man 
like  Schurz  there  is  nowhere  an  official  position  open. 


286  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

He  can  only  utter  his  prophetical  warning,  and  seek  to 
touch  the  conscience  of  the  people,  high  and  low.  He 
is  himself  unalterably  an  Idealist.  In  a  letter  written 
to  me  after  the  above  mentioned  speech  he  says:  'It  is 
true  that  the  circumstances  under  which  we  are  carry- 
ing on  the  fight  for  honest  principles  of  government  do 
not  look  encouraging  at  this  moment.  But  I  cannot  give 
up  my  faith  in  the  inborn  sense  of  honor  which  the' 
nation  possesses.  In  the  forty  odd  years  of  my  public 
activity  I  have  had  the  experience  again  and  again  that 
whatever  the  final  question  might  be,  the  appeal  to  the 
moral  sense  of  the  people  was  always  the  most  effectual. 
I  am  convinced  that  even  now  the  people  will  choose 
the  right  way  if  we  only  succeed  in  bringing  this  matter 
to  a  fairly  simple  and  clear  'issue.'  ...  I  confess 
that  this  is  a  political  problem  that  offers  great  difficul- 
ties, but  perhaps  things  may  take  such  a  shape  as  to 
make  it  possible  to  overcome  these  difficulties.  Let  us 
not  give  up  hope  so  long  as  we  have  the  slightest  chance 
of  success.  We  will  keep  up  our  courage !'  Over  against 
this  optimism,  however,  the  fact  remains,  that  under 
the  present  administration  trade  and  all  business  have 
taken  an  unexampled  upward  tendency,  so  that  just  now 
the  nation  will  not  hear  of  any  change  in  the  government ; 
which  means  that  McKinley's  administration  will  be  en- 
dorsed for  another  four  years,  at  the  next  presidential 
election.  But  now  that  is  enough,  and  more  than  enough 
of  politics,  which  we  plain  parsons  cannot  change  any- 
how!" (A.  S.  to  E.  W.)  February  13,  1901.  "I  can- 
not write  about  politics  here  without  indignation.  You 
will  be  surprised  when  I  tell  you  that,  in  spite  of  all 
my  dissatisfaction  with  McKinley's  administration,  I 
still  voted  for  him.  We  had  only  the  choice  of  two 
evils,  both  bad,  yet  one  greater  than  the  other.  So  I 
chose  the  lesser  one!"  (A.  S.  to  E.  W.) 


A  MODEL  AMERICAN 


TRIBUTE  TO   MCKINLEY 


Dr.  Spaeth's  disapproval  of  President  McKinley's 
policy  did  not  lessen  his  high  estimate  of  his  personal 
character.  On  the  nineteenth  of  November,  1901,  he 
made  a  Memorial  address  from  the  text:  "My  thoughts 
are  not  your  thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways  My  ways, 
saith  the  Lord,"  using  as  his  theme  McKinley's  dying 
words:  "God's  way,  His  Will  be  done."  "He  had 
entered  upon  his  office  for  the  second  time,  elected  by  a 
majority  of  the  nation,  and  the  minority  had  accepted 
his  election  as  the  custom  is  among  us,  quietly,  content- 
edly. What  had  this  man  done,  that  the  hand  of  an 
assassin  should  be  lifted  against  him?  The  political 
Testament  that  the  President  left  behind  him,  in  his  ad- 
dress at  Buffalo,  deserves  all  recognition.  He  counsels 
fairness,  justice,  peace;  every  sentence  expresses  good- 
will to  all  men.  Nowhere  does  he  refer  to  our  might 
or  power.  It  could  be  condensed  to  the  one  sentence, 
'All  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to 
you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them.'  ....  And  for  this, 
such  a  man  is  to  be  shot  down,  as  if  he  were  an  enemy 
to  humanity !  There  were,  and  are,  wise,  patriotic  men, 
who  did  not  approve  of  everything  that  the  President  did. 
But  the  man  himself  was  esteemed,  by  Republicans  and 
Democrats,  north  and  south,  by  all  parties.  He  was  a 
noble  man,  in  character  and  life  a  model  American,  plain 
and  simple,  no  great  genius,  but  using  faithfully  what 
God  had  given  him,  honorable,  upright,  conscientious. 
His  popularity  was  due  to  his  unaffected,  winning  way. 
No  one  could  resist  his  personal  charm.  I  shall  never 
forget  how  approachable  he  was,  when  I  had  the  privi- 
lege of  introducing  the  Leipzig  singers  to  him,  in  the 
White  House  at  Washington.  In  all  the  pressure  of 
official  business  how  kindly  he  received  these  strangers, 
who  did  not  even  understand  his  language,  and  wished 


288  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

them  God's  blessing  on  their  journey.  And  what  confi- 
dence did  he  place  in  the  nation!  That  any  one  of  the 
people  could  do  him  an  injury  was  the  last  thought  that 
would  have  occurred  to  William  McKinley.  Walking 
one  evening  in  Canton,  Ohio,  accompanied  only  by  his 
secretary,  he  met  a  Lutheran  pastor  whom  he  knew,  and 
whom  he  kindly  invited  to  join  them.  During  this  walk 
he  said:  That  is  the  advantage  of  a  President  of  the 
American  Republic,  that  he  can  go  about  in  the  dark, 
and  need  not  fear  as  a  monarch  must.'  "  * 

THE  NEW  GERMAN  EMPIRE 

"On  the  fifteenth  of  May,  1871,  our  Germans  in  Phila- 
delphia held  a  glorious  celebration.  The  fierce  conflict 
between  Germany  and  France  had  ended  in  the  complete 
subjugation  of  the  ancient  foe  of  the  Empire.  How 
did  we,  in  our  church,  offer  prayer  and  thanksgiving  for 

*  In  the  castle  gardens  in  Stuttgart  a  life-size  marble  group  repre- 
sents Eberhard  im  Bart,  sleeping  with  his  head  supported  on  a 
young  peasant's  lap.  Uhland  tells  the  story,  dear  to  all  Swabians, 
in  verse.  At  a  banquet  given  when  Eberhard  was  created  first 
Duke  of  Wuerttemberg,  the  other  Princes  were  boasting  of  their 
rich  mines,  their  fruitful  fields,  their  great  cloisters  and  cities. 

Eberhard,    surnamed    "The    Bearded," 

Wuerttemberg's   beloved  lord, 
Said,   "My  land   hath  no  great  cities, 

In  its  hills  no  silver  hoard, 

"But   it  holds  one   hidden   treasure, 

That,    in    deepest    forest    shade, 
On  the  lap  of  any  subject, 

Fearless   I   can  lay  my  head." 

Cried   the    listening    Princes    round    him, 

Saxony,    Bavaria,    Rhine, 
"Bearded    Count,    thy    land    is    richest 

Where    such    precious    jewels    shine." 

(Translated,  H.  R.  S.,  1005.) 


FOUNDING   THE   NEW   EMPIRE  289 

the  victory  of  the  Fatherland,  and  pour  out  our  gifts 
for  the  wounded  and  suffering!  On  the  tenth  of  May 
the  treaty  of  peace  had  been  signed  in  Frankfort,  and 
five  days  later  a  great  Peace  festival  was  celebrated.  On 
the  previous  Sunday  a  thanksgiving  service  was  held  in 
the  churches.  I  preached  in  St.  Johannis  from  Haggai 
2:  9,  The  glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be  greater 
than  of  the  former,'  and  was  severely  taken  to  task  by 
my  Missourian  friends  for  such  a  text,  to  such  a  sermon, 
on  such  an  occasion!  The  celebration  on  the  fifteenth 
consisted  in  a  magnificent  parade  of  the  Germans  through 
the  city.  From  the  tower  of  St.  Johannis  waved  two 
immense  flags,  fully  thirty  feet  long,  German  and 
American,  and  when  the  line  on  Broad  Street  reached 
the  point  opposite  the  church,  a  peal  of  Victory  rang  out 
from  all  of  our  bells  together.  The  parade  took  four 
hours  to  pass  a  given  point.  Perfect  order  was  pre- 
served throughout."     (Erinnerungen.) 

Travelling  abroad  in  June,  1871,  "we  crossed  the 
bridge  over  the  Rhine  to  Cologne,  meeting  midway  a 
train  from  Paris  to  Berlin,  filled  with  artillery-men  of 
the  Prussian  Guard,  powerful,  sunburned,  weather- 
browned  heroes,  singing  lustily:  'Lieb  Vaterland,  kannst 
ruhig  sein.'  And  then,  all  the  way  up  the  river  toward 
Wuerttemberg,  from  village  to  village,  from  city  to  city 
wherever  the  eye  turned,  flags  hung  from  every  church 
tower,  reaching  down  to  the  ground.  On  the  first  Sunday 
at  home  how  wonderful  it  was  to  hear  the  petition  in 
the  General  Prayer,  where  formerly  only  the  reigning 
house  of  Wuerttemberg  was  mentioned:  'Bless  the 
German  Emperor,  the  whole  Empire  and  all  of  its 
Princes.'  There  stood,  before  my  eyes,  as  an  accom- 
plished fact,  that  of  which  I  had  dreamed  in  childhood 
and  as  a  youth,  the  German  Kaiser !  the  German  Empire ! 
A  tear  stole  down  my  cheek  and  never  have  I  responded 
to  that  portion  of  the  prayer  with  a  more  earnest  and 


2Q0  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

heartfelt  Amen,  than  in  that  memorable  morning  hour 
in  the  old  Dionysius  Church  in  Esslingen."  (Erinne- 
rungen. ) 

Deutscher  Tag,  October  6,  1908.  "The  Germans 
throughout  the  world,  and  especially  the  German  citizens 
of  our  great  Republic,  have  been  shaken  out  of  their 
former  lethargy  by  the  founding  of  the  German  Empire. 
They  have  recalled  with  pride  that  they  are  Germans, 
and  that,  as  Germans,  they  form  a  weighty  factor  in  this 
greatest  world-power  of  the  western  continent.  They 
have  become  conscious  of  their  right  and  their  duty,  not 
only  to  recall  what  they  have  contributed  to  the  history 
of  America,  but  to  remind  their  American  fellow-citizens 
of  these  facts,  instead  of  allowing  them  to  die  out  in 
silence,  or  to  be  maliciously  perverted  or  falsified.  Only 
since  there  has  been  a  Bismarck,  and  a  German  Empire 
across  the  sea,  have  we  begun  to  celebrate  'German  Day' 
here."     (Festrede  in  Founders'  Week,  1908.) 

THE  HERO  LECTURES 

We  have  alluded  in  passing  to  Dr.  Spaeth's  first 
German-American  address  under  the  auspices  of  the 
German  Society,  at  the  Memorial  to  Kaiser  Wilhelm, 
March  24,  1888,  in  the  Academy  of  Music.  The  cele- 
bration was  arranged  with  great  simplicity,  the  organ 
being  the  only  instrument  allowed.  Mr.  H.  Groeneveld 
of  Zion's  was  the  organist.  An  audience  of  nearly  three 
thousand  was  present.  Dr.  Spaeth's  theme  was:  Fuer 
Deutschland  durch  Kampf  zum  Sieg!  Durch  Sieg  zum 
Frieden!  His  sketch  of  the  long  life  of  Kaiser  Wilhelm 
included  the  history  of  Germany  during  the  nineteenth 
century.  A  co-temporary  account  of  the  address  says: 
"His  life-picture  of  the  Emperor  contained  much  that 
was  new  and  of  great  value  to  the  ordinary  hearer;  not 
general  phrases,  enlivened  with  a   few  anecdotes;  not 


KAISER  WILHELM  I.  291 

something  to  touch  the  emotions,  and  draw  a  few  tears ; 
but  words  that  kindled  the  flame  of  enthusiasm  for  all 
that  is  noble  in  the  German  people,  and  for  its  departed 
ruler."  From  Dr.  B.  M.  Schmucker's  account  of  the 
Memorial  celebration  in  the  Lutheran  we  quote:  "The 
chief  address  was  delivered  by  Dr.  A.  Spaeth,  and  was  a 
beautiful  and  touching  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a  great 
man  and  King.  The  profound  regard  and  regret  ex- 
pressed were  not  the  less  hearty  because  the  speaker 
was  a  South  German  and  not  a  Prussian.  A  more  sincere 
tribute  of  affection  was  nowhere  laid  on  the  bier,  and  it 
was  an  evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  the  unification 
of  Germany,  and  of  the  happy  influence  of  years  spent 
in  America  in  removing  narrowness,  and  strengthening 
a  pure  love  for  the  Fatherland,  and  showing  that  it 
burns  as  bright  in  the  hearts  of  true  German-Americans 
as  in  any  on  earth." 

"This  address,  which  was  printed  later,  and  circulated 
also  in  Germany,  procured  for  me  a  warm  greeting  from 
the  Iron  Chancellor,  Otto  von  Bismarck,  transmitted 
through  the  German  Consul.  The  same  day  that  the 
celebration  took  place  in  the  Academy,  a  Philadelphia 
daily  contained  a  malignant  attack  on  the  whole  ar- 
rangement of  the  Memorial,  and  especially  on  the 
German  speaker!  He  should  not  have  been  a  Lutheran 
because,  as  is  well  known,  the  Hohenzollern  had  accepted 
the  Reformed  faith.  Especially  should  he  not  have  been 
a  man  notorious  in  his  own  Church  for  his  anti-German 
sentiment!  It  is  scarcely  credible  that  such  an  attack 
could  have  been  written  and  printed  in  Philadelphia. 
Still  more  incredible  is  it  that  a  German,  a  member  of 
the  Synod  of  Pennsylvania  could  so  write,  as  was  actually 
the  case.  But  we  were  living  then  in  the  unspeakably 
sad  period,  when  the  German  Professors  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Seminary  were  persecuted  with  implacable  hatred, 
and  every  means  was  used  to  ruin  their  good  name.     .     . 


292  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

.  .  Thank  God,  that  is  an  old  story  now,  and  may 
be  forgotten.     But  it  belongs  to  history  nevertheless. 

"Since  that  time  I  have  repeatedly  been  called  upon 
by  the  German  Society  to  speak  on  festival  occasions, 
especially  at  the  annual  celebration  of  'German  Day,' 
October  6th,  as  well  as  to  take  part  in  the  lecture  courses 
which  the  Society  usually  arranges  during  the  winter, 
for  its  members  and  friends.  Where  my  theme  was  not 
already  fixed  by  the  date,  I  have  selected  it  from  the 
occurrences  of  recent  German  history,  and  set  before 
the  eyes  of  my  countrymen  in  America  the  noble  histor- 
ical characters  of  our  German  Fatherland,  to  whom  we 
owe  the  founding  and  upholding  of  the  New  Empire. 
As  I  became  less  and  less  able  to  get  up  any  enthusiasm 
for  the  modern  development  of  American  politics  with 
its  imperialism,  so  much  the  more  has  my  heart  turned 
back,  in  my  old  days,  to  my  German  home ;  and  the  study 
of  such  heroic  figures  as  Bismarck,  Roon,  Moltke  and 
Wilhelm  has  compensated  me  for  the  many  disappoint- 
ments and  discouragements  arising  from  the  tendency 
of  the  new  American  world-policy. 

"I  spoke  on  Bismarck's  eightieth  birthday,  April  i, 
1895;  and  after  his  death,  at  the  Memorial  in  the 
Academy  of  Music,  October  6,  1898;  on  'Emperor  and 
Chancellor,'  February  24,  1905;  on  the  'Four-leaved 
Clover'  (Wilhelm,  Bismarck,  Roon  and  Moltke),  Janu- 
ary 10,  1 901 ;  and  on  the  'Better  halves  of  the  Four- 
leaved  Clover'  (Empress  Augusta,  Johanna  Bismarck, 
Anna  Roon,  Marie  Moltke),  in  1903;  on  'Schiller's 
Germany,'  in  1905;  on  the  'Immigration  of  Books  from 
Europe  to  America,  and  the  Significance  of  Germanis- 
tics,'  at  the  opening  of  the  Bechstein  Library  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  1896.  I  described  the  'Way  to 
the  New  German  Empire'  at  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary 
of  the  proclamation  of  the  Emperor  at  Versailles,  Janu- 
ary 18,  1896,  and  the  efforts  for  unity  of  the  German 


THE  HERO  LECTURES  293 

Patriots  in  the  Revolution  of  1848  and  1849,  'Fifty 
Years  Ago,'  1898;  and  spoke  in  remembrance  of  the 
most  ideal  of  those  patriots  in  my  Memorial  address  on 
Carl  Schurz,  German  Day,  1906.  Of  course  for  these 
lectures  I  had  a  different  audience  from  that  in  my 
church,  but  I  felt  that  I  was  doing  a  service  both  to  my 
German  home  and  to  my  adopted  country,  in  encourag- 
ing my  own  countrymen  and  fellow-citizens  faithfully 
to  preserve  and  honor  their  spiritual  German  heritage, 
and  thereby  to  prove  themselves  and  their  children  valu- 
able material  for  their  new  fatherland."  (Erinnerungen.) 

As  lectures  belonging  to  this  series,  Bismarck  as  a 
Christian,*  and  Lincoln  and  Bismarck,  February  12, 
1910,  must  also  be  named.  In  the  same  general  line 
belong:  a  lecture  on  Ernst  Moritz  Arndt,  a  Prophet  of 
the  German  nation,  1871  ;f  Influence  of  Immigration 
on  the  Development  of  the  United  States,  Deutscher 
Tag,  1894;  "Boer  and  Briton,"  1900;$  and  "Der  Zweite 
Generation,"  1901. 

"I  would  like  to  close  this  chapter  by  telling  one  among 
the  various  experiences  on  these  occasions,  that  was 
particularly  amusing.  It  was  connected  with  the  cele- 
bration of  German  Day  in  1897.  I  had  chosen  as  my 
theme  the  word  'German-American,'  and,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  my  address,  had  expressed  myself  somewhat 

*  First  delivered  in  St.  Johannis,  May  1901 ;  in  August  1901  on 
board  the  steamer  Phoenicia;  December  8,  1904,  in  New  York; 
October  19,  1905,  English,  in  Dubuque.  In  1902  this  lecture  was 
translated  for  the  Church  Reviezv,  and  separately  printed  for 
private   circulation. 

t  Delivered  in  Camden,  N.  J.  Printed  in  the  Deutscher  Volks- 
freund,  July  and  August,  1871. 

t  Dr.  Spaeth  was  prevented  by  sickness  from  delivering  this  ad- 
dress at  the  mass  meeting  of  Boer  sympathizers  in  the  Academy  of 
Music,  January  13,  1900.  In  March  of  the  same  year  he  delivered 
it  in  Doylestown,  Pa.,  and  it  was  published  in  German  and 
English. 


294  THE  GERMAN  AMERICAN 

strongly  against  the  so-called  hyphenated  nationalities. 
I  showed  how  self-contradictory  such  combinations  must 
be  as  a  rule,  and  how  impossible  it  was  to  conceive  of 
such  grouping  as  German-Italian,  German-French, 
German-English,  as  a  matter  of  fact.  I  made  an  excep- 
tion of  the  'German-American,'  however.  Now,  for  that 
same  evening,  in  the  Hall  of  the  German  Society,  a 
second  address  was  announced,  in  English,  by  my  es- 
teemed friend  Professor  Robert  Ellis  Thompson, 
Principal  of  the  Philadelphia  High  School.  He  came 
in  a  little  late,  and  had  not  heard  the  introduction  to 
my  address,  concerning  hyphenated  or  mixed  nationali- 
ties. When  his  turn  came  he  began,  in  the  innocence  of 
his  heart,  and  in  the  full  conviction  that  he  had  some- 
thing to  impart  that  would  be  particularly  interesting 
to  his  German-American  audience,  with  these  words:  'It 
is  a  special  pleasure  to  me  to  be  present  this  evening  at 
this  festival  of  the  German-Americans,  for  I  am  myself 
"German-Irish !"  '  Like  a  bomb  these  words  brought 
down  the  house,  producing  such  applause  and  so  much 
hilarity,  that  it  was  some  time  before  the  people  re- 
covered their  composure.  Dr.  Thompson  was  himself 
astonished  at  the  effect  of  this  phrase.  He  had  quite 
expected  to  please  his  audience  by  introducing  himself 
as  'German-Irish,'  but  he  was  not  prepared  for  such  an 
elemental  outburst  of  merriment.  After  the  close  of 
his  address,  I  told  him  of  my  opening  words,  and  then 
he  joined  heartily  in  the  general  mirth,  as  the  humor  of 
the  situation  dawned  upon  him.  Dr.  Thompson's 
maternal  ancestors  sprang  from  a  party  of  German 
emigrants  who,  under  Queen  Anne,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  first  settled  in  England,  whence 
a  number  of  families  were  transferred  to  Ireland  and 
remained  there,  while  the  others  went  on  to  America." 
(Erinnerungen.) 


CHAPTER  XII 

EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

1886-1909 

Travel  in  the  younger  sort,  is  a  part  of  Education :  in 
the  elder   a   part   of   Experience. — Bacon. 

Including  the  first  voyage,  which  brought  Pastor 
Spaeth  from  Liverpool  to  New  York  in  July,  1864,  he 
crossed  the  Atlantic  no  less  than  twenty-one  times.  Of 
his  ten  visits  to  the  old  home  several  were  official,  as  in 
1886,  when  he  made  the  round  of  the  principal  Deaconess 
Houses  of  Germany,  in  the  interest  of  our  Motherhouse, 
or  in  1887  and  1904,  when  he  went  as  delegate  of  the 
General  Council  to  the  Allgemeine  Conferenz  in  Ham- 
burg and  Rostock.  To  these  brief  reference  has  been 
made,  in  connection  with  the  churchly  interests  repre- 
sented; but  in  every  journey  there  was  more  or  less 
that  was  purely  personal,  especially  so  long  as  the  faith- 
ful old  mother  lived,  who  never  quite  became  reconciled 
to  the  separation  from  her  eldest  son.  Unless  other- 
wise stated,  the  notes  of  his  European  travels  are  taken 
from  letters  written  in  English,  to  Mrs.  Spaeth. 

THE   TOUR  OF   THE    MOTHERHOUSES 

June  10,  1886.  Rhynland.  "It  was  a  surprise  to  me 
to  find  how  many  of  the  first  cabin  passengers  are  ac- 
quainted with  German.  With  very  few  exceptions,  they 
all  understand  it  even  if  they  do  not  speak  it.  For  this 
reason  I  was  requested,  on  both  Sundays,  to  preach  in 
German  after  an  Episcopal  clergyman  had  read  the 
29s 


296  EUROPEAN   TRAVEL 

Service  from  the  'Book  of  Common  Prayer.'  Last 
Sunday  we  closed  with  a  powerful  'Ein  feste  Burg'  in 
which  almost  everyone  joined."  Immediately  after 
landing  in  Antwerp  Dr.  Spaeth  met  Consul  Meyer  in 
Cologne.  The  next  day,  with  two  ladies  from  the 
Rhynland,  he  took  a  "Baedeker  tour"  in  which,  of  course, 
the  Cathedral  came  first. 

"I  had  never  seen  it  in  bright  sunshine,  and  never 
before  in  the  glory  of  its  final  perfection.  O!  what  a 
sight  it  was,  as  we  stood  before  those  beautiful  gates, 
under  the  shadow  of  those  majestic  towers,  and  walked 
through  the  aisles  so  gloriously  lit  up  by  the  rays  of  the 
sun  through  the  stained  glass  windows.  We  listened 
to  a  full  mass,  very  well  sung  in  Latin,  by  the  robed 
priests,  but  absolutely  incomprehensible  to  the  people 
staring  at  their  richly  embroidered  vestments.  Action! 
Action!  Sacrifice!  Sacrifice!  And  no  true  sacramentum! 
Man's  work  everywhere,  a  very  full  and  dazzling  ex- 
hibition of  it,  and  God's  work,  His  blessed  work  through 
the  living  word — nowhere!  This  is  the  essence  of 
Romanism.  From  the  Dom  we  went  on  to  the  Rathhaus, 
and  to  that  beautiful  specimen  of  mediaeval  architecture, 
the  Guerzenich,  the  greatest  music  hall  in  Prussia.  Im- 
agine our  surprise  when,  on  paying  our  admission  fee, 
we  were  charged  two  Marks  each  instead  of  fifty 
pfennige  as  usual,  because — the  chief  rehearsal  for  the 
Niederrheinische  Music  Festival  was  just  being  held! 
And  Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony  which  I  had  never 
yet  heard,  and  always  wished  to  hear,  was  about  to  be 
played!  Of  course  we  paid  our  two  Marks  and  went 
in,  enjoying  for  more  than  an  hour  this  unexpected 
musical  treat." 

Hamburg,  June  18,  1886.  "Yesterday  I  dined  at  the 
residence  of  Frau  Aebtin  Schoeberlein,  widow  of  the 
great  Professor  Dr.  Schoeberlein.  She  lives  with  her 
son-in-law  Dr.   Lauenstein.      Her  two  daughters,   Mrs. 


DR.  SCHOEBERLEIN.     THE  WARTBURG  297 

Lauenstein  and  Mrs.  Frommel,  are  charming  young 
mothers  of  the  very  best  German  type.  Herr  Karl 
Frommel  is  a  son  of  the  celebrated  Berlin  court-preacher, 
Emil  Frommel.  We  had  a  most  delightful  evening, 
and  I  was  quite  touched  when  Frau  Aebtin  handed  me 
as  a  memento  of  this  pleasant  occasion,  a  number  of  the 
first  copies  of  those  beautiful  pictures  which  Schoeber- 
lein  collected  for  his  magnificent  work,  the  'Hauskapelle,' 
which  has  only  one  drawback,  that  it  is  too  expensive. 
They  even  spoke  of  entrusting  to  me  the  manuscript 
treasures  of  Schoeberlein's  liturgical  and  hymnological 
collections,  if  I  only  had  time  to  go  over  them.  A 
beautiful  oil  painting  of  the  good  and  great  man  hangs 
on  the  parlor  wall.  A  nobler  and  finer  face  of  an  old 
gentleman  I  have  never  seen.  It  is  just  what  one  would 
like  the  face  of  a  man  to  be,  who  was  so  strong  in  ap- 
preciating the  refined  and  beautiful  in  the  service  of  our 
beloved  Church.  When  I  reached  my  hotel  I  found 
Dr.  Dickhoff  from  Rostock  who,  on  receiving  my  card 
from  Hannover,  had  come  all  the  way  from  Rostock, 
six  hours  by  rail,  to  have  a  chat  with  me.  We  talked 
until  nearly  two  this  morning,  and  continued  to  talk 
at  the  breakfast  table  until  nine,  when  I  had  to  leave 
for  Altona." 

Eisenach,  Sunday,  June  20th.  "There  was  no  service 
in  Eisenach,  owing  to  Pastor  Schubert's  absence,  so  I 
rose  at  4.30  to  visit  the  Wartburg.  As  a  light  rain 
came  drizzling  down  I  hesitated  a  little  about  the  walk, 
but  in  spite  of  the  threatening  weather  it  was  most  de- 
lightful. The  steepness  of  the  path  kept  it  perfectly  dry, 
and  the  dense  foliage  of  the  trees  gave  sufficient  protec- 
tion; and  then,  it  was  only  the  mist  coming  down,  and 
the  higher  I  ascended  the  more  it  cleared.  By  six  o'clock 
I  was  up  on  the  mountain,  and  went  first  to  the  restau- 
rant for  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  good  rest  before  proceed- 
ing to  the  Burg.     Early  as  I  was  there  were  others  be- 


298  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

fore  me,  already  busy  with  their  breakfast  when  I  en- 
tered the  mediaeval  'Wirths-Stube.'  I  spent  a  little  over 
an  hour  in  visiting  the  Burg.  The  chief  attraction,  of 
course,  is  the  Lutherstube.  I  cannot  describe  my  emotion 
when  I  stood  in  that  little  sanctuary,  and  looked  out 
through  the  window  over  the  same  hills  over  which 
Luther  had  often  looked,  when  he  stood  at  the  window 
saying  his  evening  prayer,  as  he  was  accustomed  to  do. 
Following  the  advice  of  Frau  Pastor  Schubert  I  routed 
the  'Castellanin'  out  of  bed,  and,  with  the  help  of  a 
silver  key  of  twenty-five  cents,  made  her  open  the  Re- 
formation Rooms  for  my  inspection.  They  are  not 
generally  accessible  to  the  public.  The  pictures,  repre- 
senting scenes  from  Luther's  life  by  modern  masters, 
are  excellent.  I  was  in  high  good  humor  when  I  marched 
down  the  hill  making  the  forest  ring  with  'Ein  feste 
Burg,'  which  I  sang  all  through  from  the  first  verse  to 
the  last. 

"I  was  in  good  time  for  the  Nueremberg  train.  The 
railroad  trip  through  beautiful  Thuringia  with  its  wooded 
hills,  peaceful  hamlets,  and  ruins  of  ancient  castles  was 
most  interesting,  all  the  more  so  to  me  as  my  Baedeker 
showed  me  everywhere  the  paths  of  your  dear  father.* 
The  most  important  historical  point  was  Coburg  with 
its  old  fortress  where  Luther  spent  the  time  during  the 
Augsburg  Diet,  and  where  he  wrote  his  letter  to  Haens- 
chen.  I  took  a  walk  through  Nueremberg  and  enjoyed 
once  more  that  jewel  of  mediaeval  architecture.  But 
there  have  been  great  changes  since  1863  when  I  saw 
it  last.  The  ring  of  the  old  town  wall  with  its  towers 
is  entirely  surrounded  by  new,  modern  streets.  It  is 
well  that  they  even  left  the  old  landmarks  standing,  but 
it  is  impossible  now  to  get  as  good  and  satisfactory  a 
view  of  them  as  one  would  like  to  have." 

*  He  used  on  this  trip  the  Baedeker  with  Dr.  Krauth's  notes  made 
in   1880. 


A  SWABIAN  PASTORAL  CONFERENCE  299 

Thursday,  July  I,  1886.     "On  Tuesday  afternoon  I 
went  up   to    Plochingen,"    he   was   now   in   Esshngen, 
"where  two  theological  and  pastoral  clubs  met.     In  both 
I  found  a  number  of  my  old  class-mates  and  acquaint; 
ances,  among  them  two  of  the  professors  of  the  Uni- 
versity     We  had  a  most  delightful  time  together.     I 
returned  to  the  city  in  the  company  of  Prelat  von  Lang, 
a  cousin  of  Dr.  Mann,  who  was  most  cordial  with  me 
though,  as  I  was  privately  told,  he  had  been  at  first 
almost    afraid    of    that    awfully    strict    Lutheran     Dr. 
Spaeth      I  am  much  more  generally  known  this  time, 
through  my  pamphlet  against  Pfleiderer,  but  I  must  say 
I  have  not  yet  heard  an  unkind  word  against  myself 
on  this  account.      Even  the   friends  and   relatives   of 
Pfleiderer  readily  admit  that  he  was  entirely  too  hasty 
.  in  the  publication  of  things  which  he  could  not  sub- 
stantiate. .     .      ,  1      •  •* 
"That  meeting  in  Plochingen,  in  its  form  and  spirit, 
was  so  unique  that  I  feel  a  very  strong  temptation  to 
write  out  a  full  description  of  it  for  the  Zeitschrift,  or 
even  the  Lutheran.    Some  fifteen  pastors  and  professors 
were  assembled,  with  their  wives,  in  one  of  the  large 
upper  rooms  of  the  hotel.     After   some   conversation 
accompanied  by  coffee  and  beer  and  smoking,  the  cigars 
were  laid  down  for  a  few  minutes,  the  whole  company 
arose  and  united  in  prayer  led  by  one  of  the  ministers. 
Then  they  sat  down  for  real  theological  work.      lne 
Greek  Testaments  appeared  on  all  sides,   and  one  of 
the  ministers  read  a  very  elaborate  essay  on  the  difficult 
passage  Matthew  13:   10  ff,  which  was  followed  by  a 
lively  discussion,  the  ladies  knitting  and  listening,  the 
gentlemen  not   forgetting  to   strengthen   and   compose 
themselves  with  their  beloved  beer  and   tobacco!      A 
little  after  seven  the  serious  work  of  the  day  was  de- 
clared to  be  over.    The  Testaments  disappeared  into  the 
pockets,  the  company  once  more  rose  for  prayer,  and 


3Q0  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

afterwards  fell  to,  on  roast  veal,  beef,  sausage,  salad 
and  other  good  things  in  a  manner  which  showed  that 
the  discussion  of  those  great  and  solemn  themes  had 
not  in  the  least  interfered  with  their  appetite.  More 
than  ever  I  was  struck  with  the  systematic  manner  in 
which  we  Germans  seem  to  connect  the  Invisible  and 
the  Visible,  the  heavenly  things,  transcendent  and  hard 
to  grasp  for  the  profoundest  thinker,  and  the  pleasant 
realities  of  this  present  life  which  we  take  hold  of  as 
by  the  'Wurst-Zipfel'  (the  tail  end  of  a  sausage).  After 
all  there  is  a  good  deal  in  the  well  known  definition  of 
the  German  as  a  mixture  of  'sausage  and  sentiment.' 
Only  the  latter  term  does  not  do  full  justice  to  the  ideal 
and  metaphysical  in  the  German  mind. 

"Yesterday  morning  by  special  invitation  of  the 
Decan  and  the  Prelat,  who  is  here  for  the  inspection  of 
the  diocese,  I  attended  the  annual  theological  disputation 
which  took  place  in  the  Vereinshaus.  Theses  on  the 
Doctrine  of  the  Lord's  Supper  had  been  printed  and  dis- 
tributed and  all  the  pastors  of  the  district  had  sent  in 
their  different  objections  and  anti-theses  to  the  Decan, 
who  had  arranged  them  well,  and  with  a  full  plan  and 
list  of  all  the  points  made,  was  able  to  call  up,  in  every 
instance,  the  man  who  had  something  to  say  on  that  par- 
ticular point.  The  last  word  was  always  given  to  the 
author  of  the  Theses.  Decan  Kuebel  led  the  proceedings 
most  admirably,  with  a  firm  hand.  .  .  .  While  many 
good  things  were  said  on  the  different  sides  presented  in 
the  Theses,  there  was  a  very  marked  failure  in  appre- 
ciating the  true  Lutheran  position  on  this  vital  subject." 

Besides  making  the  round  of  the  Deaconess  Houses 
Dr.  Spaeth  enjoyed  several  weeks  in  Esslingen  with  his 
"happy,  active  and  indefatigable"  mother,  renewing  old 
friendships  and  forming  new  ones.  The  visit  of  Mrs. 
Pfatteicher  at  the  same  time  made  it  possible  to  have 
several  family  reunions,  after  years  of  separation.    Many 


A  SUMMER  IN  SCHWABENLAND  301 

were  the  walks  and  drives  to  famous  spots  in  picturesque 
and  historic  Schwabenland.  A  trip  to  Munich  with  its 
wonderful  art  treasures  was  included  in  this  summer. 
A  lecture  on  Luther  and  America  (July  18th)  was  well 
received,  and  the  suggestion  was  made  that  it  be  repeated 
in  Stuttgart.  He  writes:  "I  confess  I  would  rather 
like  to  have  an  opportunity  to  say  a  word  in  Stuttgart, 
where  friend  Pfleiderer  once  delivered  his  mischievous 
address  before  the  Pastoral  Conference.  A  propos,  I 
heard  that  Herr  Pfleiderer  on  being  asked  why  he  did 
not  reply  to  my  'Beleuchtung'  confessed  that  he  had  not 
the  material  with  which  to  refute  my  statements.  Rector 
Pfisterer  seems  to  have  enjoyed  my  lecture  on  Luther 
and  America  more  than  anyone  else  among  my  hearers. 
The  good  friends  here  seem  to  be  under  a  peculiar  dread 
that  we  might  make  too  much  of  Luther,  and  yet  it 
would  do  them  so  much  good  if  they  knew  him  a  little 
better." 

He  preached  once  in  the  great  Stadt-Kirche  in  Ess- 
lingen,  to  an  audience  of  about  four  thousand,  and  also 
in  the  Deaconess  Church  in  Stuttgart.  "There  were,  of 
course,  not  many  outsiders,  only  a  few  friends  who  were 
particularly  interested  in  me.  Among  them  I  found,  to 
my  great  delight,  Prelat  Buehrer  who  ordained  me 
twenty-five  years  ago,  when  he  was  Decan  in  Waib- 
lingen." 

During  this  visit  Dr.  Spaeth  was  keenly  interested  in 
the  political  changes  and  prospects  in  his  beloved  Ger- 
many. In  Munich  he  had  "watched  the  drilling  in  one 
of  the  large  infantry  barracks.  There  were  the  young 
Bavarians  led,  instructed,  scolded,  by  a — Prussian  in 
Bavarian  uniform!"  His  brother,  Dr.  Ernst  Spaeth, 
was  very  active  previous  to  the  election  of  the  man  whom 
his  district  was  to  send  to  the  Reichstag.  "I  assisted 
Ernst  in  his  efforts  during  the  election  conflict  which 
was    verv    bitter    and    excited.       I    wrote    under    the 


302  EUROPEAN   TRAVEL 

pseudonym  'Der  Unparteiische'  and  Ernst  as  'Der  alte 
Bekannte,'  and  we  enjoyed  the  great  pleasure  of  reading 
together  the  furious  eruptions  of  the  Democratic  Press 
against  those  two  writers,  who  seemed  to  do  them  great 
harm.  They  even  discovered  a  certain  family  resem- 
blance between  the  two,  though  no  one  has  the  slightest 
idea  that  the  two  brothers  Spaeth  are  hidden  under  those 
names.  Well,  the  day  before  yesterday  the  election  came 
off,  and  the  result  was  a  brilliant  victory  for  our  candi- 
date! I  feel  quite  at  home  with  His  Majesty  and 
Bismarck  in  the  consciousness  of  having  exerted  myself 
to  send  them  a  truly  loyal  and  German  representative  of 
this  district  to  Berlin." 

August  10,  1886.  "Yesterday  evening  I  went  with 
Ernst  to  Plochingen  to  attend  a  great  political  meeting. 
It  was  a  gathering  of  the  conservative  and  national 
party  to  celebrate  their  recent  victory,  to  which  I  had 
also  contributed  my  modest  share  with  my  pen.  It  was 
a  grand  affair,  flags  waving  in  the  breeze,  garlands 
around  the  pictures  of  William,  Bismarck,  Moltke,  Unser 
Fritz,  a  band  of  music  playing  patriotic  tunes,  and  the 
highest  pitch  of  enthusiasm.  It  did  my  heart  good  to 
see  so  many  honest  and  strong  men  rallying  round  the 
flag  and  firmly  resolved  to  stand  up  for  'Kaiser  and 
Reich.'  Ernst  wanted  me  to  address  the  meeting,  and  I 
allowed  him  to  send  my  name  up  to  the  chairman.  I 
did  make  an  address  which,  in  all  modesty  be  it  said, 
electrified  the  house  to  an  extent  to  which  I  never  in- 
fluenced any  meeting.  The  whole  audience  rose  like 
one  man,  and  taking  up  my  closing  words,  sang  with 
the  greatest  enthusiasm:  'Deutschland,  Deutschland 
ueber  Alles!'  There  was  no  end  of  hand-shaking  all 
round,  and  from  every  corner  of  the  hall  some  'Vetter' 
turned  up,  and  introduced  himself  proudly  as  belonging 
to  the  family  of  the  'orator.'  Well,  well.  It  was 
perhaps  a  little  indiscreet  for  an  American  citizen  and  a 


A  VISIT  TO  KROPP  303 

pastor  to  attend  such  a  meeting.     But  being  there  I  had 
to  speak,  and  speak  as  I  did."  * 

THE  CONFERENCE  IN   HAMBURG 

October  6,  1887.  "I  had  not  walked  fifty  steps  on 
the  pier  when  I  heard  my  name  called,  and  Mr.  Tor- 
maehlen,  the  Emigrant  Missionary,  presented  himself 
with  the  greetings  of  Mr.  Valentin  Lorenz  Meyer  who 
is  on  the  Committee  for  entertaining  the  members  of 
Conference,  and  whose  guest  I  am  to  be  during  my  stay 
in  Hamburg."  October  7th.  "After  dinner  I  left 
Hamburg  for  Kropp,  passing  through  Neumuenster  and 
Rendsburg  to  Owschlag  where  I  arrived  late  in  the  after- 
noon, and  found  an  open  carriage  waiting  for  me,  a 
bright  boy  of  about  fifteen  years  acting  as  driver.  After 
nearly  an  hour's  drive  over  the  dreary  heath  and  moor 
which,  in  the  dusk,  looked  like  the  ocean  itself  overhung 
by  a  leaden  sky,  he  landed  me  at  the  door  of  the  Kropp 
parsonage,  where  Mrs.  Paulsen  gave  me  a  very  kind 
and  hospitable  welcome.  With  Pastors  Pfaff  and  Beer 
who  are  the  principal  teachers  of  the  institution  I  spent 
a  very  pleasant  evening  in  conversation  about  America, 
our  dear  Church,  the  institution  in  Kropp,  the  difficulties, 
dangers,  necessities,  by  which  this  whole  work  is  sur- 
rounded. 

"A  very  bright  spot  in  this  journey  was  a  visit  to  the 
city  of  Schleswig,  the  former  capital  of  the  Duchy  of 
Schleswig,  for  whose  recovery  so  much  precious  German 
*  The  Schwaebische  Mercur,  October  28,  1909,  in  calling  attention 
to  Dr.  Spaeth's  seventieth  birthday  says:  "The  patriotic  speech 
which  he  made  in  Plochingen  at  the  celebration  of  the  victorious 
election  to  the  Reichstag  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Adae,  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  heard  it.  The  joy  and  pride  of  Germans 
living  in  other  countries,  over  the  triumphant  unification  of  the 
German  people,  has  perhaps  never  found  anywhere  more  beautiful 
or  more  eloquent  expression." 


304  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

blood  had  been  shed.  On  Saturday  afternoon,  favored 
by  the  most  glorious  sunshine,  we  started  for  Schleswig 
in  the  same  open  carriage  which  had  brought  me  to 
Kropp.  Pastor  Pfaff,  Martha  Paulsen  and  Lieschen 
Pfaff  were  my  companions.  The  whole  scenery  of  the 
country,  the  quaint  brick  houses  with  heavy  thatched 
roofs,  the  earth  walls,  called  'Knicks,'  in  the  place  of  our 
fences, — everything  was  new  to  me,  and  I  felt  as  if  I 
were  in  a  strange  country,  though  it  was  the  land  of  the 
most  enthusiastic  patriotic  devotion  of  my  boyhood,  of 
which  I  had  sung  myself  hoarse  a  hundred  times,  and 
over  which  I  had  shed  many  tears  whenever  the  Danes 
gained  an  advantage  over  the  brave  Schleswig-Hol- 
steiners  who  were  in  those  days  forsaken  by  a  weak  and 
distracted  Germany. 

"The  scenery  around  Schleswig  itself  is  most  lovely, 
in  striking  contrast  to  the  monotonous,  dreary  heath  and 
moors  through  which  we  had  come.  The  town  is  built 
around  the  western  end  of  a  narrow  inlet,  running  in 
from  the  Baltic  Sea  for  about  twenty  miles,  hardly  wider 
than  the  Schuylkill  at  Fairmount  Park.  The  castle  of 
Gottorp,  formerly  the  residence  of  the  Dukes,  and  the 
birthplace  of  the  present  Russian  dynasty,  is  now  turned 
into  barracks  for  hussars  and  infantry." 

After  attending  service  in  Kropp  on  Sunday  morning 
Dr.  Spaeth  left  for  Eutin  where  he  spent  two  days  very 
happily  in  the  beautiful  home  of  his  friend,  Dr.  Ruperti. 
On  the  way  to  the  Conference  they  spent  two  hours  in 
the  interesting  old  free  Hansa  Stadt,  Luebeck,  reaching 
Hamburg  at  six  o'clock.  "At  eight  the  public  reception 
or  'Begruessung'  took  place.  All  the  most  prominent 
men  received  me  with  the  greatest  delight,  Dr.  Kliefoth, 
Dr.  Luthardt,  Max  Frommel,  Professor  Dickhoff  and 
others.  A  place  was  given  me  at  the  President's  table, 
and  I  had  a  very  pleasant  evening."  October  12th.  "This 
morning  the  opening  service  was  held  in  the  large  St. 


A  MEMORABLE  DAY  305 

Petri  Church.  It  was  indescribably  grand  and  glorious. 
Our  Hauptgottesdienst  was  most  beautifully  rendered, 
the  minister  intoning,  and  an  excellent  choir  of  men  and 
boys  responding  in  the  finest  a  cappella  singing.  The 
chorales  were  accompanied  by  the  full  organ  and  instru- 
ments (trombones,  kettle  drums  and  trumpets).  The 
sermon  was  very  fine,  preached  by  Pastor  Becker  of 
Kiel.  All  the  officiating  ministers  wore  the  old  mediaeval 
Hals-Krause,  if  you  know  what  that  is.*  I  do  not  think 
that  the  'glory  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,' 
which  was  the  preacher's  theme,  ever  before  shone  so 
fully  into  my  eyes  as  in  this  morning's  service,  when  I 
sang,  with  tears  running  down  my  cheeks  and  almost 
choking  my  voice: 

'Zu  dem  Glauben  versammelt  hast 
Das  Volk  aus  aller  Welt  Zungen.' 

"The  great  Festmahl  in  the  evening  was  a  grand 
affair.  About  four  hundred  guests  sat  down  in  the  larg- 
est hall  of  'Sagebiehl's'  which  is  used  for  oratorios,  con- 
certs, etc.  An  excellent  brass  band  played  favorite  tunes, 
chorales  and  spiritual  Folk-songs  and  accompanied  the 
assembly  when  they  rose  to  sing  their  'Tischlieder,' 
'Lobe  den  Herren  den  maechtigen  Koenig  der  Ehren' 
and  others.  After  dinner  we  adjourned  to  another  of 
these  large,  beautiful  halls  where  friends  formed  groups, 
or  walked  up  and  down  arm  in  arm,  and  enjoyed  coffee 
and  cigars  while  a  splendid  choir  of  well-trained  men's 
and  boys'  voices  entertained  us  with  some  excellent 
singing.  It  was  9.30  when  Dr.  Ruperti  and  Dr.  Luthardt 
invited  me  to  come  along  and  have  a  little  old-fashioned 
students'  'Kneip-Abend'  with  them.     They  took  me  to 

*  A   wide,   fluted   or   crimped   ruff,   made   of  linen  very   stiffly- 
starched,    and    projecting   several    inches   around   the   neck.     More 
than  twenty  years  later  the  writer  saw  it  worn  by  Pastor  Cordes 
in  Hamburg. 


306  EUROPEAN   TRAVEL 

a  typical  students'  tavern,  all  furnished  in  mediaeval 
style,  called  'Malepartus,'  where  a  powerful  chorus  of 
fine  students'  voices  greeted  the  professors  from  Leipzig 
and  Philadelphia  and  the  Herr  Kirchenrath  from  Eutin. 
I  need  not  tell  you  that  I  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion  most  enthusiastically.  It  was  not  far  from 
midnight  when  I  reached  my  quarters,  delighted  with  the 
manifold  experiences  and  enjoyments  of  this  memorable 
day.  Tomorrow  morning  at  the  opening  of  the  second 
day's  principal  meeting,  the  place  is  assigned  to  me  to 
make  a  formal  address  in  behalf  of  the  General  Council 
of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  North  America.  Professor 
Dickhoff  was  appointed  to  respond.  This  arrangement 
is  a  marked  distinction  for  the  President  of  the  General 
Council,  whose  mission  they  seem  determined  to  make 
as  prominent  and  important  as  possible." 

October  13th.  "This  morning  I  was  down  before  seven 
hoping  to  find  time  to  write  out  a  few  leading  points  for 
my  address  at  eleven.  But  in  vain.  A  young  Mr.  S. 
at  once  presented  himself,  who  had  a  hundred  and  one 
questions  on  educational  matters  in  America,  and  clung 
to  me  until  I  reached  Sagebiehl's  Hall  at  ten  o'clock !  At 
eleven  the  main  session  of  the  second  day  began,  and 
after  devotional  exercises  led  by  my  friend  Dr.  Buettner 
of  the  Henrietten  Stift,  the  President,  Dr.  Kliefoth,  in- 
troduced me  to  the  audience.  I  had  received  carte 
blanche  from  him  to  speak  as  long  as  I  thought  proper, 
and  I  went  on  for  about  forty  minutes  growing  warmer 
and  warmer  under  the  inspiration  of  the  moment. 
Modesty  forbids  me  to  describe  fully,  even  to  my  wife, 
the  reception  which  my  address  found.  Dr.  Luthardt 
embraced  and  kissed  me.  Dr.  Kliefoth  made  a  very 
happy  reply,  and,  at  his  suggestion,  the  whole  audience 
rose  to  signify  their  consent  to  the  remarks  of  the 
President.  It  was  a  wonderful  and  touching  moment 
as  the  President  of  the  Conference  shook  hands  with  the 


RECEPTION   OF   THE   HAMBURG   ADDRESS        307 

President  of  the  General  Council  amid  the  cheers  of  that 
vast  assembly.  Dr.  Kliefoth  tried  to  add  a  few  words, 
but  tears  choked  his  voice  and  he  was  completely  over- 
whelmed  Dr.  Luthardt,  in  a  few  remarks 

which  he  made  in  the  debate,  referring  to  my  address 
said:  'It  was  not  words  we  heard,  but  fire,  burning 
fire  we  felt  poured  into  our  hearts!'  It  was  one  of  the 
greatest  hours  of  my  life, — perhaps  the  greatest,  as  far 
as  my  public  life  is  concerned."  * 

A  WINTER  IN  CAPRI 

In  the  fall  of  1891,  Dr.  Spaeth  was  forced  to  give  up 
his  work  entirely  and  go  abroad  for  six  months. f  Years 
of  unremitting  toil,  repeated  attacks  of  asthma,  more 
violent  and  more  prolonged  each  year,  had  resulted  in 
complete  nervous  prostration.  "A  large  company  of 
members  of  the  congregation  went  with  us  to  the  wharf 
where  we  shipped  on  the  Belgenland,  from  Philadelphia 
for  Antwerp.  They  were  in  great  concern  for  the  life 
of  their  friend  and  pastor.  Some  of  them  scarcely  hoped 
to  see  him  again,  and  when  the  choir  began  the  parting 
song:  'Auf  Matrosen,  die  Anker  gelichtet!'  many  a  note 
was  stifled  by  an  over  full  heart.  We  had  quite  a 
numerous  and  pleasant  party  of  our  own.  There  were 
my  oldest  son  and  his  friend  Herman  Fritschel,  who 
intended  carrying  on  their  studies  in  the  University  of 
Leipzig,  and  my  second  wife  with  our  three  children, 
the  youngest  of  whom  often  amused  the  whole  company 

*  He  did  not  escape  without  some  criticism  however.  Walking 
later  along  the  Alster  with  Dr.  Ruperti  and  his  friend  the  Baroness 
Beaulieu-Marconnay,  the  lady  began  to  speak  of  the  address :  "You 
have  no  idea,  Herr  Pastor,  how  much  I  enjoyed  your  speech.  You 
were  so  deliciously  schwaebisch !" 

t  At  the  meeting  of  the  Ministerium  of  New  York  he  had  asked 
and  obtained  provisionally,  leave  of  absence  from  the  Seminary  for 
one  year  in  case  his  health  was  not  improved  by  fall. 


308  EUROPEAN   TRAVEL 

with  his  droll  ideas On  reaching  home  I 

was  most  carefully  examined  by  the  physicians  in  the 
family,  my  brother  in  Esslingen,  and  my  brother-in-law 
Professor  Liebermeister  of  Tuebingen.  The  diagnosis 
was:  no  organic  trouble  anywhere;  nothing  but  total 
exhaustion  and  nervous  debility.  And  the  prescription 
was  pleasant  to  take:  off  to  the  Island  of  Capri  for 
complete  rest.  For  the  first  time  in  thirty  years  I  cele- 
brated my  birthday  at  home,  and  then  left  Esslingen  on 
the  second  of  November,  reaching  Naples  on  the  eighth." 
(Erinnerungen.)  For  several  weeks  he  was  most  kindly 
entertained  in  the  house  of  Herr  Otto  Breitling,  a  friend 
of  his  boyhood.  Many  were  the  excursions  made  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Naples,  including  Pozzuoli  (the  ancient 
Puteoli  where  Paul  landed)  and  Paestum  with  its  mag- 
nificent Doric  temples.  Here  they  sang  "Ein  feste  Burg" 
one  Sunday  morning.  Toward  the  end  of  November 
Dr.  Spaeth  left  Naples  for  Capri,  accompanied  by  Herr 
Breitling  whose  long  experience  in  Italy  was  of  great 
assistance  in  securing  modest  but  comfortable  quarters 
in  the  Hotel  Faraglioni,  where  he  remained  for  three 
months. 

"The  air  one  breathes,  at  once  sea  air  and  mountain 
air,  the  rest  which  one  enjoys,  the  matchless  outlook 
over  what  is,  probably,  the  most  beautiful  landscape  that 
is  to  be  found  on  God's  earth,  the  Bay  of  Naples,  the 
mild,  pleasant  temperature  which  made  it  always  possible 
to  be  out  of  doors, — all  gave  one  from  day  to  day  a 
growing  feeling  of  recovery  and  returning  strength.  Now 
and  then  we  had  a  little  taste  of  winter  weather,  when 
the  Tramontana  or  north  wind  blew  over  the  Bay,  and 
the  snowflakes  whirled  about  Vesuvius.  On  such  days, 
even  in  Capri,  it  was  cool  and  sharp  but  only  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Island.  If  one  climbed  down  over  the  rocks 
on  the  south  side,  looking  out  toward  Africa,  it  was  al- 
ways possible  to  find  a  nook  sheltered  from  every  breath 


RAMBLES   IN   CAPRI  3°9 


of  air,  where  one  could  lie,  warmed  through  and  through 
by  the  sunshine,  and  dream  whole  symphonies  in  the 
ever-varied  tones  of  the  surf."  (Erinnerungen.) 

November  24,  1891.  "This  morning  I  started  to 
walk  to  the  Villa  of  Tiberius,  but  missing  the  way  came 
to  the  beautiful  'arco  naturale',  a  magnificent  arch  in  the 
rocks  high  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  When  I  reached 
the  village  again  on  my  way  home,  finding  it  was  not 
yet  ten  o'clock  I  made  a  second  attempt  to  reach  the 
Tiberio'  and  this  time  I  was  successful.  The  ascent 
is  very  pleasant  and  gradual.  Whatever  may  have  been 
the  character  of  that  grim  old  tyrant,  Tiberius  certainly 
showed  wonderful  pluck  and  taste  in  perching  this  eagle's 
nest  straight  up  among  the  rocks,  1240  feet  perpendicu- 
larly above  the  level  of  the  water.  And  what  gigantic 
and  gorgeous  buildings  this  Villa'  must  have  contained ! 
The  arched  ceilings,  the  thick,  strong  walls,  the  pretty 
mosaic  floors  testify  to  it  even  at  the  present  day.  I 
had  a  pleasant  chat  with  the  old  monk  who  lives  there 
as  an  eremite,  keeping  up  a  kind  of  service  in  a  little 
chapel,  having  no  other  company  but  a  large  family  of 
cats,  which  follow  him  everywhere,  probably  also  to  his 
quiet  masses." 

November  28th.  "The  view  from  our  large  terrace 
(20  by  80  feet)  is  most  beautiful.  The  Faraglioni 
stands  a  little  off  from  the  densely  built  up  part  of  the 
town.  From  our  terrace  the  ground  slopes  rapidly  down 
to  the  sea,  being  covered  with  olives,  oranges,  immense 
cactus,  aloes  and  well  kept  vegetable  gardens.  At  the 
edge  of  the  water  we  look  into  the  inner  court  of  an 
ancient  cloister  (14th  century)  now  used  for  military 
barracks,  from  which  the  lively  martial  signals  and 
trumpet  blasts  are  heard  from  morning  till  night.  To  the 
right,  above  this  cloister,  towers  the  old  picturesque 
castle,  on  a  steep  rock  overhanging  the  sea.  Back  of 
the  castle-hill  and  the  town  rises  another  wall  of  rocks 


310  EUROPEAN    TRAVEL 

and  mountains,  which  separates  Capri  from  Anacapri. 
Its  highest  point  is  the  peak  of  Monte  Solaro,  nearly 
2,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  East  of  us  is  an- 
other mountain,  in  sugar-loaf  form,  the  old  Signal 
Station ;  and  back  of  our  house,  to  the  north,  still  an- 
other high  mountain  crowned  with  the  ruins  of  Fort 
San  Michele." 

Dr.  Spaeth  had  left  America  in  a  condition  of  almost 
hopeless  depression.  The  favorable  diagnosis  of  his 
physicians  in  Wuerttemberg,  the  cheerful,  home-like 
weeks  in  Naples,  and  then  the  wonderful  tonic  of  Capri 
air  and  sunshine  produced  an  exhilaration  which  showed 
itself  in  his  letters.  They  took  on  an  unusual  playful- 
ness, a  boyish  lightheartedness,  the  best  possible  proof  of 
his  rapid  convalescence.  December  5th.  "I  am  daily 
getting  stronger  and  better  able  to  undertake  longer 
trips.  Yesterday  morning  I  had  set  my  heart  on  mount- 
ing the  highest  peak  on  the  Island,  Monte  Solaro.  I 
took  a  'carozzella'  after  lunch  and  drove  up  to  Anacapri 
in  a  little  more  than  fifteen  minutes.  From  there  the 
ascent  began,  and  thanks  to  my  unerring  guide  book  I 
had  no  difficulty  in  finding  the  way  alone.  The  view 
was  most  beautiful.  To  the  South  you  overlook  the  blue 
Mediterranean  from  a  cliff  which  rises  perpendicularly 
from  the  water  to  a  height  of  over  two  thousand  feet. 
To  the  North,  West  and  East  the  Gulf  of  Naples,  with 
the  islands,  the  city,  Mt.  Vesuvius  and  the  mountains 
behind,  from  Terracina  far  down  to  Calabria,  are  in 
sight.  At  your  feet,  like  a  relief  map,  is  the  whole 
island  of  Capri.  From  the  mountain  top  I  wandered 
across  a  little  valley  to  the  hermitage  of  St.  Citrella 
which  is  built  on  a  cliff  directly  overhanging  the  Piccolo 
Marina  and  Capri  itself.  It  gives  one  the  most  striking 
exhibition  of  the  gigantic  upheavals  and  collapses  which 
must  have  taken  place  to  form  the  present  chasm  between 
Anacapri  and  Capri.     Now  that  I  have  visited  those  two 


REGAINING   STRENGTH  311 

highest  points,  which  look  down  upon  me  as  I  sit  on  my 
sofa,  and  do  my  forenoon's  work  *  from  day  to  day,  I 
feel  much  more  at  ease.  Before  this  they  always  seemed 
to  have  a  defiant  look  about  them:  'You  can't  come  up 
to  us!  We  look  down  upon  you,  poor  old  dilapidated 
fellow!'  Now  I  have  stopped  their  mouth.  I  have  been 
there,  and  plucked  my  flowers  from  the  highest  point, 
and  do  not  feel  a  bit  the  worse  for  it!" 

December  9th.  "I  am  feeling  well  and  seem  to  be  get- 
ting stronger  every  day.  Yesterday  I  must  have 
walked,  climbed  and  jumped  about  ten  miles,  and  yet, 
when  I  marched  down  the  Anacapri  road,  homeward 
bound,  my  step  was  as  firm  and  elastic  as  that  of  any 
Prussian-Garde-Fusilier-Regiment!  If  you  know  what 
that  is!"  "You  ask:  is  there  any  book  I  specially  desire? 
A  great  many!  and  some  of  them  far  beyond  our  possi- 
bilities! For  instance  H.  von  Sybel,  Begruendung  des 
Deutschen  Reichs.f  only  five  volumes,  and  only  47.50 
Marks!  Is  not  that  nice?  I  might  go  on  in  infinitum, 
having  some  very  full  catalogues  around  me,  from  which 
I  can  fire  full  broadsides  on  anyone  desiring  to  know  my 
special  likings  in  the  book  line! 

"Now,  my  dear  Martha,  if  you  are  anxious  to  worry 
about  something  I  recommend  as  a  worthy  subject  of 
your  anxiety  your  far-away  husband's  beautiful  new 
trousers,  which  are  beginning  to  break;  also,  if  you 
are  willing  to  extend  your  solicitude  further  down,  I 
recommend  to  your  kindliest  and  most  careful  considera- 
tion, all  my  light  Jaeger  stockings.  They  are  going, 
going, — gone,  every  one  of  them,  before  I  reach  Naples 
again.  You  see,  they  have  never  been  accustomed  to 
such  walks.    And  I  have  never  been  more  cheerful  than 

♦Preparing  the  course  of  Lectures  on  Acts.  This  work  kept 
him  entirely  too  much  indoors,  and  after  all  was  never  completed. 

t  This  was  presented  to  him  later,  and  was  among  the  historical 
volumes  bequeathed  by  him  to  Muhlenberg  College. 


312  EUROPEAN    TRAVEL 

with  this  prospect  of  seeing  all  my  things  going  to 
rags  on  account  of  my  blessed,  salutary  'bodily  exer- 
cise.' "  "I  am  glad  Sigmund  shows  such  a  correct  and 
full  appreciation  of  modern  German  history  as  to  speak 
of  'Kaiser  Bismarck !'  But  let  him  be  careful  with  such 
pointed  language.  It  is  rather  revolutionary,  and  will 
forever  destroy  his  father's  prospects  of  a  Hofprediger- 
Stelle  in  Berlin !  But  never  mind ;  Kaiser  Bismarck  soil 
leben!"  Once  when  his  wife  dutifully  enclosed  an 
abstract  of  her  monthly  expenses  he  retaliated  with  a 
copy  of  his  Italian  laundry  bill,  warning  her  not  to  waste 
space  in  a  letter  again,  with  that  sort  of  stuff ! 

CHRISTMAS  IN  NAPLES 

Dr.  Spaeth  had  been  invited  to  spend  the  Christmas 
holidays  in  the  charming  home  of  his  Neapolitan  friends. 
For  days  bad  weather  had  interrupted  regular  steamer 
service.  He  made  the  dangerous  voyage  at  last  in  a 
small  vessel  used  for  bringing  marketing  over,  and  which 
he  reached  by  means  of  a  tiny  row  boat.  The  whole 
trip  was  extremely  hazardous,  the  cabin  was  over- 
crowded, the  waves  were  running  high,  but  he  had  an 
appointment  to  speak  in  Naples  that  evening  and  there 
was  nothing  else  to  be  done.  "I  had  ample  time  on  the 
way  to  think  of  St.  Paul's  voyage,  after  the  shipwreck 
on  the  Island  of  Melita  (Malta)  as  he  sailed  for  the 
Bay  of  Naples  landing  at  Puteoli.  He  took  the  same 
route  that  we  did,  between  Capri  and  the  mainland ;  and 
his  ship  was  probably  not  much  larger  than  our  little 
'Vaporetto.' "  (Erinnerungen.) 

The  appointment  for  the  evening  was  in  an  inter- 
national school  for  girls,  conducted  by  German  Lutheran 
ladies  of  high  culture,  and  attended  by  the  daughters 
of  the  best  families  in  Naples,  two-thirds  of  them 
Italians  and,  of  course,  Roman  Catholics.     This  school 


VESUVIUS  313 

had  been  built  with  money  from  Scotland,  by  an 
American  architect,  and  being  conducted  by  Germans 
certainly  deserved  its  name.  The  four  languages,  Italian, 
French,  English  and  German  were  equally  familiar  to 
those  who  had  completed  the  course  from  Kindergarten 
up.  In  this  school  the  Christmas  service  was,  in  some 
measure,  to  take  the  place  to  Dr.  Spaeth  of  that  in  his 
beloved  St.  Johannis  Sunday  school.  After  the  German 
hymns  and  the  Gospel  lesson  he  felt  so  at  home  with 
these  two  hundred  and  fifty  young  hearers  that  he  began 
to  ask  questions  and  catechise  as  if  he  had  really  been  in 
St.  Johannis;  and  the  lively  young  Italians  must  have 
felt  equally  at  home  with  him,  for  their  answers  came 
so  promptly  and  were  so  much  to  the  point,  that  he  was 
delighted.  On  Christmas  Eve  came  the  tree,  and  the 
guests,  and  the  gifts  at  home,  in  San  Carlo  Mortelle. 
"A  special  pleasure  had  been  prepared  for  us  by  my 
wife,  at  that  time  in  Esslingen,  who  had  sent  us  photo- 
graphs of  the  house  in  which  both  of  us  were  born,  and 
where  we  had  spent  our  boyhood  together. 

"For  Second  Christmas  Day  we  planned  an  excursion 
to  Vesuvius.  Immediately  after  breakfast,  Dr.  Deeke,  a 
friend  of  the  family  and  a  very  learned  German  geologist, 
came  for  us.  We  took  a  carriage  through  the  suburbs 
of  Naples  up  to  Resina.  There  we  were  obliged  to  take 
a  third  horse  as  leader,  the  way  up  to  the  Observatorium, 
from  that  point  on,  being  very  steep.  We  obtained  a 
fine  horse,  but  with  such  wretched  harness,  really  only 
heavy  string,  that  it  broke  every  minute,  until  our  driver 
at  last  patched  it  up  with  his  own  suspenders.  We  soon 
reached  the  lava  fields  of  1872  which  extend  as  far 
down  as  Massa  and  St.  Sebastian.  In  Dr.  Deeke  we 
had  an  excellent  guide  and  interpreter,  who  could  ex- 
plain to  us  the  character  of  the  lava  and  the  different 
stages  of  its  decomposition.  He  is  a  specialist,  well 
acquainted  with  the  whole  region  about  Vesuvius,  and 


3i4  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

once  even  climbed  down  a  short  distance  into  the  crater ! 
From  the  Observatory  we  went  on  foot  to  the  top, 
reaching  it  about  half-past  two.  The  smoke  was  pour- 
ing out  so  thick  that  we  could  not  see  far  into  the  crater, 
but  the  deeply  riven  clefts,  with  their  wonderful  yellow, 
green  and  orange-colored  edges,  which  were  continually 
firing  off  salvos  of  hissing,  puffing  steam,  gave  us  a 
picture  in  miniature  of  what  was  going  on  underneath. 
If  we  threw  ashes  or  even  stones  on  such  a  cleft  the 
snorting  giant  below  tossed  them  angrily  aside.     .     .     . 

.  .  The  descent  looked  frightfully  dangerous,  for 
the  way  was  almost  perpendicular;  but  the  deep  ashes 
with  which  the  cone  of  the  crater  is  there  covered  al- 
lowed us  to  sink  in  almost  to  the  knees  at  every  step,  and 
that  was  our  protection.  It  was,  however,  necessary  to 
throw  the  head  as  far  back  as  possible,  in  order  not  to 

lose  one's  balance Such  a  visit  to  Vesuvius 

offers  one  of  the  most  sublime  sights  in  the  whole  realm 
of  Nature.  One  receives  a  profound  and  overwhelming 
impression  of  elemental  natural  forces,  such  as  one 
gets  nowhere  else,  not  even  from  the  wildest  breakers 
of  a  stormy  sea.  And  beside  these  corpse-strewn  fields 
of  titanic  dead,  which  an  overstrung  imagination  saw  in 
the  masses  of  cooled  lava,  often,  close  to  the  road  on 
the  other  side,  was  the  most  flourishing,  luxuriant  life, 
rows  of  grape  vines,  the  fragrance  of  oranges,  the 
richest  vegetation  which  had  all  grown  from  this  same 
gray  lava,  in  a  later  period  of  its  decomposition;  Death 
and  Life  side  by  side. 

"In  San  Carlo  Mortelle  my  host  received  us  with 
special  warmth  and  pleasure.  'Do  you  know,'  he  said 
to  me  afterwards,  'I  am  heartily  glad  that  you  are  all 
back  with  a  whole  skin.  The  old  Growler  can  never  be 
trusted!'  "  (Erinnerungen.)  "The  fact  that  I  was  equal 
to  such  an  effort  as  this  proves  to  you  better  than  many 
pages,  how  strong  and  well  I  am,  the  guides  themselves 


AN   IMITATION    SAINT  315 

testifying  that  'Old  Papa'  as  they  called  me,' was  'molto 
forte.'  "  (Letter.) 

SAN   BERNARDO 

"I  promised  to  devote  a  few  lines  to  my  neighbor  at 
the  table,  the  Rev.  N.  N.,  a  graduate  of  Christ  College, 
Oxford.  His  clean  shaven  face,  his  deep  sunken  eyes, 
betraying  the  ascetic  and  fanatic  together,  and  his 
ostentatiously  clerical  dress  give  him  the  appearance  of 
a  well  copied  Roman  Catholic  priest.  He  crosses  himself 
three  times  when  he  comes  to  the  table,  he  sets  up  his 
book-rest  among  the  plates  and  dishes,  and  spreads  on  it 
with  much  solemnity,  some  theological  or  devotional 
volume,  or  that  excellent  High  Church  sheet  the 
Guardian.  He  abstains  from  meat  on  Friday  *  and  as 
scrupulously  abstains  from  the  corrupt  Protestant  ser- 
vices of  the  Anglican  Church,  which,  by  the  way,  are  by 
no  means  'Low.'f  He  attends  the  'Dome'  of  Capri  for 
'Celebration'  on  Sunday  morning,  and  dislikes  to  be 
visited  by  the  English  chaplain.  He  has  the  highest 
admiration  for  Francis  of  Assisi  and  other  saints  and 

*  "That  is,  he  had  a  special  menu  prepared  for  him  by  our 
good  natured  Padrone,  which,  contrasted  with  our  rather  monoton- 
ous fare,  always  looked  so  appetizing  and  inviting  that  we  could 
not  help  wishing  that  we  too  might  fast  now  and  then!"  (Erin- 
nerungen.) 

t  Dr.  Spaeth  himself  did  not  find  much  edification  in  these 
services,  "with  their  'mumbled  Psalms'  and  'higgledy-piggledy'  ser- 
mons!" (Diary.)  Nor  did  he  fare  much  better  with  the  German 
service  in  Naples  on  Christmas  Day.  The  sermon  was  in  good 
form,  and  gave  a  "fine  historical  perspective,"  with  "Michel  Angelo. 
and  Virgil  and  Augustus  and  Seneca,  and  all  the  prominent  leaders 
of  the  Augustan  Age,  but  very  little  of  the  Christ-child  in  it,"  and 
while  he  enjoyed  "Es  ist  ein  Reis  entsprungen"  sung  by  men's 
voices  "in  the  good  old  strong  harmonies  of  Praetorius"  he  found 
the  congregation,  through  its  "miserable  Zuerich  Hymnbook,  en- 
tirely cheated  out  of  its  Christmas  hymns,  of  which  that  book 
contains  absolutely  none."    (Letter.) 


316  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

monks  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and,  in  short,  is  one  of 
those  intellectual  and  ecclesiastical  giants  or  monsters 
who  made  the  discovery  that  the  Reformation  of  the 
Sixteenth  century  is  a  failure.  Knowing  his  unbounded 
admiration  for  the  Romish  Saints  I  was  wicked  enough, 
some  days  ago,  at  the  full  table,  to  treat  the  ladies  to 
your  story  of  St.  Antonius  of  Tuebingen,  and  the  ninety 
Marks  he  helped  to  recover.  *  The  ladies  who  under- 
stand the  'papa  vecchio'  of  his  American  family  pretty 
well,  enjoyed  the  fun  of  the  situation  hugely."  Several 
weeks  before  this  the  Diary  recorded  :  "The  four  Eng- 
lish ladies  whom  Alfreddo  reported  as  having  arrived 
today,  have  emerged  from  the  chrysalis, — Americans. 
How  ready  they  are  to  become  acquainted  in  comparison 
with  our  good  English  guests!  I  should  never  have 
dreamed  that  there  was  such  a  difference!" 

SERVICES  IN  CAPRI 

December  15,  1891.  "Last  night  Miss  P.  found  a 
Roman  Catholic  Catechism  on  the  parlor  table.  It  was 
written  in  English,  and  contained  a  very  clever  defense 
of  some  of  the  heresies  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  She 
read  for  our  common  edification,  rousing  our  common 
Protestantism  to  an  uncommon  self-assertion,  and  the 
whole  thing  finally  turned  into  a  lecture  on  Symbolics, 
which  the  Professor  of  the  Mt.  Airy  Seminary  gave  to 
his  grateful  lady-hearers,  pacing  the  room  in  great  and 

*  While  one  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  sisters,  confined  to  bed  by  a  slight 
indisposition,  was  dividing  the  money  intended  for  Christmas  pre- 
sents into  little  heaps,  ninety  Marks  mysteriously  disappeared.  After 
some  time  spent  in  vain  searching  for  them,  a  Roman  Catholic  at- 
tendant exclaimed :  "Oh  Frau  Doctor !  Pray  to  St.  Antonius ! 
He  restores  lost  things!"  "He  will  not  help  me\"  said  the  Frau 
Doctor  despairingly,  "I'm  a  Lutheran!"  Whether  the  little  semps- 
tress invoked  St.  Antonius  or  not,  we  did  not  dare  to  inquire,  but 
in  a  few  minutes  the  ninety  Marks  reappeared. 


GERMAN    SERVICES  317 

evergrowing  excitement,  as  he  went  on  righting  the 
Pope  and  the  Bulls  and  the  Councils." 

Among  the  refined  and  intelligent  visitors  in  Capri 
Dr.  Spaeth  made  many  warm  friends  with  whom  he 
could  discuss  not  only  topics  of  general  interest,  but  also 
deeper  matters  of  faith  and  religion.  It  was  therefore 
a  great  delight  to  him,  in  January,  to  assemble  a  small 
congregation  in  the  parlor  of  the  hotel,  to  whom  he 
preached  regularly  every  Sunday.  In  Naples  he  had 
spoken  with  Pastor  Trede  of  the  possibility  of  some 
such  arrangement  in  Capri.  Pastor  Trede  had  repeatedly 
visited  the  Island  and  held  mission  services  among  the 
guests  there;  but  the  distance  from  Naples,  the  irregu- 
larity of  the  steamer,  the  numerous  interruptions  made 
by  the  Tramontana  which  often  suspended  communica- 
tion with  the  mainland  for  days,  all  made  it  very  diffi- 
cult, if  not  impossible,  to  supply  a  preaching  station 
there  from  Naples.  But  Dr.  Spaeth  was  settled  in 
Capri  for  several  months,  and  a  young  German  theo- 
logical student  who  was  there  as  tutor  in  a  noble  family 
from  Mecklenburg,  would  undertake  to  continue  the 
work,  so  the  service  was  begun.  The  ladies  in  the  hotel, 
German,  English  and  American,  vied  with  each  other  in 
arranging  the  room  suitably  for  worship,  and  one  of 
them  served  as  organist.  The  good  friends  in  Naples 
came  over  expressly  for  the  first  service.  There  was 
an  audience  of  about  thirty,  and  the  singing  went  very 
well,  as  Dr.  Spaeth  had  procured  hymnbooks  from  a 
German  Society  founded  for  the  purpose  of  providing 
religious  services  in  health  resorts.  The  people  showed 
great  interest,  and  after  almost  every  sermon  someone 
would  come  to  him  with  a  question  about  this  or  that 
point.  After  this  beginning  the  German  services  were 
continued,  and  the  Germans  have  now  had  a  chapel  of 
their  own  in  Capri  for  several  years. 

February  6,    1892.      "My   sermon    for   tomorrow   is 


318  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

ready.  I  took  the  theme  on  which  I  preached  in 
Esslingen,  Paul  at  Athens,*  and  had  taken  special  pains 
to  work  out  the  subject  for  my  refined  audience,  some 
of  whom  may  be  more  in  sympathy  with  the  Epicurean 
or  Stoic  schools  of  philosophy  than  with  St.  Paul's 
plain  Gospel.  Now  that  I  am  ready  for  them  with 
what  I  thought  should  prove  a  special  treat,  I  hear  that 
the  goodly  company  of  my  German  countrymen  at 
Pagano's  have  planned  a  great  excursion  to  the  Island 
of  Ischia  for  tomorrow,  and  have  chartered  a  steamer 
for  that  trip!  Double  disappointment  for  me!  Ischia, 
which  is  my  special  favorite  among  the  pearls  that  en- 
circle the  Gulf  of  Naples  I  should  have  liked  to  visit 
myself,  and  this  would  have  been  a  splendid  opportunity. 
And, — my  service !  It  isn't  a  very  nice  prospect,  of  hav- 
ing the  attendance  on  the  second  service  fallen  off  so 
greatly  in  comparison  with  the  first.  And  then  the 
Tempter  comes  and  says:  'Keep  your  Athens  sermon 
for  a  larger  audience  and  treat  the  few  elderly  ladies 
that  will  come  tomorrow  to  something  plainer,  which 
you  can  easily  prepare  this  evening.'  But  no!  I  shall 
not  listen  to  him!  If  my  sermon  was  the  right  thing  to 
be  preached  at  all,  it  must  be  preached  tomorrow, — rain 
or  shine,  few  or  many!"  This  vigorous  and  entirely 
Luther-an  defiance  of  the  Tempter  was  duly  rewarded. 
February  9th.  "Today  the  Sirocco  is  howling  around 
the  Island,  but  Sunday  was  a  beautiful  warm  and  bright 
day,  and  I  was  most  agreeably  disappointed  in  finding 
about  the  same  number  present  at  the  service,  as  the 
Sunday  before.  I  preached  my  Athens  sermon,  adapted 
to  Italian  surroundings  in  nature,  art  and  history.  It 
seemed  to  make  a  deep  impression.  The  Ischia  excur- 
sion had  been  given  up  after  all,  the  owners  of  the  little 
steamer  not  being  sure  about  the  weather.  They  are 
extremely  cautious  here,  and  say  that  so  long  as  a  wind 

*  Printed  in  "Heimat-Gruesse." 


ROME  319 

is    blowing    strong    enough    to    extinguish    a    burning 
candle,  an  Italian  captain  will  not  venture  out  of  port!" 

LAST  DAYS  IN  CAPRI 

February  9th.  "The  mosquitoes  are  beginning  to  be 
very  troublesome.  I  have  used  with  great  success  cer- 
tain little  fumigators  which  are  burned,  and  seem  to 
paralyze  them  completely.  But  what  is  the  use  of  such 
a  silent,  gentlemanly  remedy  if,  in  the  adjoining  room, 
some  sturdy  Amazons  wage  a  war  of  extermination  all 
night  with  their  fists,  and  glory  next  morning  in  having 
killed  twenty-four  enemies  in  this  midnight  battle?" 
In  the  end  of  February,  Dr.  Spaeth  left  Capri,  followed 
by  the  good  wishes  of  many  to  whom  his  stay  there  had 
proved  both  pleasant  and  profitable.  Several  of  these 
friends  accompanied  him  to  the  quay.  Many  more 
stood  on  the  cliff  over  the  harbor,  waving  a  last  good-bye. 
"As  our  steamer  left  the  Marina  Grande,  and  the  pic- 
turesque forms  of  Capri  were  concentrated  more  and 
more  as  the  distance  increased,  some  Italian  musicians 
on  board  began  to  sing,  to  the  accompaniment  of  guitar 
and  mandolin  'Addio  bella  Capri,'  and  it  made  the  tears 
start  to  my  eyes,  as  I  remembered  how  much  good  this 
lovely  Island  had  done  for  my  health  and  how  much 
kindness  I  had  received  here  from  persons  whom  I  had 
never  known  before. — 'Addio  bella  Capri !'  " 

After  a  few  days  in  Naples  Dr.  Spaeth  went  on  to 
Rome.  The  German  Consul  there,  Herr  A.  von  Nast, 
had  been  a  classmate  of  his  in  Blaubeuren,  but  had  given 
up  theology  and  attained  great  success  in  business.  "If 
we  reckon  in  gold  and  silver,  he  was  by  far  the  first 
in  the  Promotion."  From  this  old  friend  our  traveler 
received  much  attention  and  many  kindnesses.  "On  my 
last  day  in  Rome  we  drove  out  to  the  Via  Appia,  the 
same  road  over  which  Paul  came  to  Rome  from  Puteoli 


320  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

and  the  Three  Taverns.  I  begged  my  friend  to  let  me 
out  there.  I  wished  to  walk  over  the  old  stone  blocks 
where  once  the  Apostle's  feet  had  trod.  In  the  same 
way  I  followed  the  traces  of  Luther  so  far  as  my  short 
time  allowed."  In  St.  Peter's  Dr.  Spaeth  was  disgusted 
with  the  indifference  and  carelessness  shown  by  the 
officiating  priests.  It  all  reminded  him  of  Luther,  and 
the  description  of  his  pilgrimage  to  Rome,  in  the  minutest 
detail.  On  the  whole,  ancient,  heathen  Rome  with  its 
imposing  ruins  appealed  to  him  more  than  mediaeval, 
Christian  Rome  with  its  churches.  He  excepted  the 
wonderful  Basilica  San  Paolo  fuori  le  mure,  St.  Paul's 
church  outside  of  the  city!  After  one  week  in  Rome 
he  spent  three  days  among  the  art  treasures  of  Florence, 
then  turned  north,  over  the  snow-covered  Apennines, 
and  on  the  twelfth  of  March  rejoined  his  family  in 
Tuebingen. 

SWITZERLAND 

In  June,  1897,  Dr.  Spaeth  sailed  on  the  Southwark 
for  Antwerp,  with  his  second  son,  Douglas.  In  Frank- 
furt he  was  the  guest  of  Pastor  Cordes,  and  "had  a 
delightful  time  with  him  in  his  lovely  manse,  built  after 
his  own  plans.  His  church  also  is  an  architectural 
jewel.  His  whole  life  and  work  at  Frankfurt  is  a  bril- 
liant success.  I  never  had  an  idea  how  much  aggressive- 
ness and  power  of  initiation  he  possesses." 

After  a  few  weeks  in  Esslingen,  where  Dr.  Spaeth  offi- 
ciated at  the  marriage  of  his  brother's  eldest  daughter,  a 
short  but  very  interesting  trip  into  Switzerland  was  taken, 
including  Lucerne,  Vierwaldstaetter-See  and  Pilatus. 
Here  they  arrived  in  dense  fog  which  cleared  for  sunset 
and  a  beautiful  moonlit  night.  The  further  journey  in- 
cluded the  fine  cascades  of  the  Giessbach,  Interlaken, 
Lauterbrunn  Valley  to  Wengern-Alp  and  Klein-Schei- 
degg,  where  the  Jungfrau,  Moench  and  Eiger  shone  in 


■  /fc€(/f/f'i'</i     ('n    (OJj/L7va,e?i ,     «_y/.       /  /r  /t y.JfteJ 


ON  BOARD  THE  PHOENICIA  321 

all  the  glory  of  a  perfect  morning,  and  then  back  by 
way  of  Berne,  Neuhausen  and  the  Rheinfall,  Tuebingen 
to  Esslingen. 

BERLIN,   LEIPZIG,   DRESDEN 

On  the  first  of  June,  1901,  Dr.  Spaeth  sailed  for 
Hamburg  on  the  Phoenicia,  Captain  Froehlich.  Pleas- 
ant company,  exceptionally  good  fare,  a  roomy  cabin 
and  the  "ocean  as  smooth  as  a  river"  made  this  "by  far 
the  most  delightful  voyage  I  ever  had  in  my  life."  By 
special  request  he  delivered  a  lecture  on  Bismarck,  and 
on  Sunday  morning  conducted  a  short  service.  The 
usual  concert  was  given,  this  time  under  the  leadership 
of  Emil  Paur.  There  were  many  musicians  of  high 
standing  on  board.  At  the  German  service  the  chorales 
were  played  by  Professor  Milde,  Director  of  the  National 
Conservatory,  New  York.  A  special  correspondent  of 
the  Concert-Goer  writes:  "For  this  occasion  there  was 
a  German  sermon  by  one  of  the  most  delightful  clergy- 
men that  ever  crossed  the  sea,  Professor  Spaeth  of 
Philadelphia.  He  is  full  of  wit  as  well  as  piety.  The 
former  sparkles  on  all  occasions.  The  latter  is  so  un- 
obtrusive that  one  is  not  at  all  disturbed  (sic)  by  its 
presence.  Gentle  dignity  and  sweet  charity  .... 
are  marked  characteristics  of  this  man  of  letters."  He 
had  with  him  a  volume  of  Bettex,  and  one  day  read 
selections  from  the  "Lied  der  Schoepfung"  to  a  group 
of  six  or  seven  gentlemen  in  the  smoking-room.  They 
were  "most  attentive  and  appreciative  hearers,  and  the 
book  made  such  an  impression  that  three  of  the  gentle- 
men took  down  its  title,  with  the  intention  of  purchasing 
it  on  their  arrival  in  Germany.  It  is  a  rare  occurence 
that  such  a  book  finds  listeners  in  the  smoking-room  of 
a  Hamburg  steamer." 

After  landing  he  spent  the  first  Sunday  in  Berlin, 
finding  very  comfortable  quarters  in  the  Hospiz,   and 


322  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

there  attended  the  service  in  the  house,  conducted  by 
one  of  the  clergymen  of  the  Berlin  City  Mission.  Re- 
turning to  his  room  on  the  first  floor,  overlooking  a 
pretty  court  with  flower  beds  and  a  fountain,  he  was 
saluted  with  a  beautiful  chorus  in  three  parts.  "It  was 
the  Berlin  choristers,  some  twenty  boys,  who  were 
posted  in  our  inner  court  and  sang,  in  exquisite  style, 
'Gott  des  Himmels  und  der  Erden,'  Mendelssohn's  'Hebe 
deine  Augen  auf  and  'Herr,  Dein  Wort  die  edle  Gabe.' 
It  brought  the  tears  to  my  eyes,  especially  as  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  soprano  singers  reminded  me 
strongly  of  Reynold  and  his  hearty  singing. 

"A  little  after  nine  I  went  to  the  Interim's  Dom  in 
the  Oranienburger  Strasse.  There  I  enjoyed  the  most 
beautiful  singing  I  ever  expect  to  hear  in  this  world, 
the  Domchor  with  its  seventy  voices,  men  and  boys, — 
of  course  all  a  cappella.  It  was  simply  perfection.  The 
pieces  they  sang  were  by  recent  composers,  but  in  excel- 
lent style,  one  by  Becker  the  late  leader  of  the  Domchor, 
who  raised  it  to  such  perfection.  The  sermon,  preached 
by  one  of  the  court  preachers,  was  in  choice  language, 
and  in  its  arrangement  and  manner  impressed  me  as 
being  in  the  form  of  my  own  sermons.  But  the 
preacher  warmed  up  only  when  he  came  to  the  historical 
remembrances  of  these  days  in  Berlin.  Yesterday 
thirteen  years  ago,  Kaiser  Friedrich  died,  and  this  day 
(June  1 6th)  thirty  years  ago,  the  victorious  German 
troops  held  their  triumphant  entry  in  the  new  Kaiser- 
stadt.  And  today  at  noon  the  great  Bismarck  monu- 
ment in  front  of  the  Parliament  House  was  unveiled. 
I  would  have  liked  to  be  there,  but  would  have  to 
sacrifice  the  Domchor  which  I  was  unwilling  to  do.  As 
I  waited  after  church  for  the  Wachtparade  I  was  in- 
formed that  the  Kaiser,  who  had  returned  from  Kiel 
this  morning,  would  presently  pass  on  his  way  to  the 
Bismarck   celebration.      The   road   was   kept   clear    for 


BERLIN,  POTSDAM,  SANSOUCI  323 

him,  but  not  even  the  cabs  or  omnibuses  were  stopped 
in  their  routes.  At  last  his  carriage  appeared,  drawn  by 
two  fine  horses,  no  guard,  no  outriders  or  display  of 
any  kind.  Wilhelm  and  his  good  wife  Augusta  Victoria 
were  seated  side  by  side  in  the  most  comfortable,  every- 
day (spiessbuergerlich)  style.  My  German  heart  went 
out  to  them,  and  I  lifted  my  hat  so  demonstratively  that 
I  received  a  special  salutation  from  His  Majesty. 
About  an  hour  afterwards,  as  I  stood  in  front  of  the 
castle  listening  to  the  fine  playing  of  the  band  of  the 
Guards,  I  saw  the  Emperor  returning  from  the  unveil- 
ing of  the  statue  in  the  same  unassuming  manner.  I 
thought  the  Berliners  were  rather  cold  and  indifferent, 
but  probably  they  are  more  accustomed  to  royalty  and 
to  Wilhelm's  particular  ways,  than  we  Republicans." 

Tuesday,  June  18th,  he  visited  Potsdam,  going  first 
to  the  Garnisonkirche,  to  the  tomb  of  Frederick  the 
Great.  "There  I  stood  at  the  very  spot  where  Napoleon 
stood  after  the  Battle  of  Jena  in  1806,  saying  to  the 
king  in  the  coffin:  'If  you  had  been  alive  I  would  not 
be  here ;'  which,  I  think,  is  true  enough.  We  continued 
our  ride  to  Babelsberg,  the  lovely  summer  home  of  the 
old  Emperor  Wilhelm,  of  which  he  was  particularly 
fond.  It  is  a  most  lovely  spot,  the  castle  itself  a  plain 
but  pretty  Ritterburg,  and  the  park  with  its  magnificent 
vistas  over  the  Havel,  and  the  lakes  around  it.  I  had 
no  idea  that  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Berlin  con- 
tained such  very  pretty  scenery.  In  the  afternoon  we 
visited  Sansouci,  the  favorite  residence  of  Frederick  the 
Great,  and  to  our  delight  just  as  we  ascended  the  steps 
the  fountain  in  the  park  began  to  play,  sending  its 
waters  up  to  a  height  of  more  than  one  hundred  feet.  I 
formed  the  resolution  to  read  Carlyle's  Frederick  the 
Great,  being  anxious  to  see  how  that  military  hero 
impressed  Carlyle's  mind.     To  me  there  is  always  great 


324  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

offense  in  Frederick's  predilection  for  the  French  as  a 
language,  and  for  Voltaire  as  a  companion. 

"But  the  most  inspiring  and  beautiful  place  I  saw 
in  Potsdam  was  the  Mausoleum  of  Emperor  Frederick 
III.,  'unser  Fritz/  who  is  buried  in  the  Frieden6kirche. 
Here  everything  breathes  a  perfectly  heavenly  rest  and 
peace.  As  the  anniversary  of  his  death  had  occurred 
last  Saturday  the  sanctuary  was  full  of  magnificent 
flowers  and  wreaths,  sent  by  the  Emperor  and  many 
German  princes." 

Wednesday,  June  19th.  "I  left  the  imperial  city  for 
Wittenberg.  On  the  train  I  met  Dr.  Tiffany  of  New 
York,  of  whom  I  had  often  heard.  He  seemed  to 
know  me  quite  well,  and  our  conversation  did  not  drag. 
As  he  was  also  bound  for  the  Luther  places  in  Witten- 
berg we  formed  an  alliance  for  the  day,  and  the 
Lutheran  steered  the  Episcopalian  through  all  the  historic 
places  of  the  old  university.  It  was  a  great  delight  to 
me  to  have  a  truly  appreciative  companion,  and  he 
seemed  to  be  really  glad  to  have  such  an  enthusiastic  ad- 
mirer of  Luther  for  his  guide In  the  after- 
noon we  separated,  my  newly  gained  friend  leaving  for 
Halle,  and  I  for  Leipzig,  where  I  was  met  by  the  Quar- 
tette. There  they  were  at  the  station,  all  four  and 
Liesel,    in    festive   array   with    flowers   in   their   hands. 

laughing  and  crying  with  joy We  drove 

through  the  whole  city,  and  I  was  much  impressed  with 
the  beauty  of  Leipzig  as  compared  to  Berlin,  its  archi- 
tectural combinations  appeared  to  me  much  happier  and 
in  better  taste  than  those  of  Berlin. 

"After  supper  we  all  went  to  the  Carola  Theatre,  to 
see  the  religious  drama  'Maria',  which  was  accompanied 
by  some  of  the  best  pieces  of  our  Leipzig  Quartette  sung 
by  their  choir  and  the  Thomas  Chor,  in  beautiful  style, 
under  the  direction  of  Herr  Cantor.  You  can  imagine 
how  I  felt  when  the  first  notes  that  greeted  me  in  Leipzig 


THE  THOMANER  CHOR  325 

were  those  of  'ich  lag  in  tiefster  Todesnacht'.  The  whole 
thing  was  exceedingly  well  done,  the  author  and  his  wife, 
a  most  charming  woman,  taking  the  principal  roles  of 
Nero  and  Maria.  On  Saturday  we  went  to  the  St. 
Thomas  Kirche,  to  hear  the  famous  Thomaner  Chor, 
founded  by  Selnecker  and  trained  by  Bach,  and  were 
fortunate  enough  to  hear  one  of  the  most  characteristic 
motets  of  the  old  master,  set  in  five  parts.  The  basses 
seem  to  me  better  in  the  Dom  Chor  of  Berlin,  but  the 
boy  sopranos  of  the  St.  Thomas  Church  are  finer  than 
those  in  Berlin.  Sunday  morning  at  nine  we  were  all 
at  our  posts  in  St.  Johannis.  The  service  was  very  much 
like  our  own,  the  pastor  intoning  even  the  Collect  and 
the  Benediction.  The  Gradual  was  the  twenty-third 
Psalm,  a  composition  of  the  Cantor.  The  sermon  was 
very  good,  and  I  could  most  sincerely  thank  the  good 
pastor  with  whose  name  I  have  long  been  familiar.     .     . 

.  .  After  the  service  we  went  down  to  the  crypt 
where  Gellert's  and  Bach's  sarkophagi  are  side  by  side." 
From  Leipzig  he  went  to  Dresden,  saw  the  "matchless 
Sistina  of  Raphael,"  and,  later,  "wandered  to  the  inter- 
national exposition  of  paintings  to  be  disgusted  with 
some  of  the  most  tasteless,  incredible  presentations  of 
what  some  crazy  fellows  call  art  in  these  days  of  ours." 

Esslingen,  July  ioth.  "Yesterday  the  annual  conven- 
tion of  the  Gustavus  Adolphus  Society  of  Wuerttemberg 
was  held  in  Cannstadt.  I  went  down  early  in  the  morn- 
ing with  our  friend  Prelat  Demmler.  We  first  attended 
the  main  service  in  the  Stadtkirche,  where  one  of  the 
Tuebingen  professors  delivered  a  good  sermon  which 
was,  however,  entirely  too  academic,  and  not  popular 
enough  for  the  occasion.  From  there  we  went  to  the 
Lutherkirche,  one  of  the  handsomest  modern  church 
buildings  I  have  seen  for  a  long  time,  and  attended  a 
'Jugendgottesdienst'  (children's  service).  It  was  a  de- 
light to  see  the  body  of  the  large  church  filled  with 


326  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

boys  and  girls,  singing  their  'Ein  feste  Burg'  with  all 
their  might,  in  clarion  tones,  and  listening  to  a  fresh, 
taking  address  by  a  son  of  that  good  Professor  Pfleiderer 
who  was  once  so  sharply  rebuked  by  me  in  my  'Amerika- 
nische  Beleuchtung.'  " 

Dr.  Spaeth  had  accepted  an  invitation  to  preach  in 
Esslingen  largely  in  order  to  gratify  his  mother's  desire 
to  "hear  her  boy."  But  when  the  time  came  she  was 
ill  in  bed.  "It  was  a  very  hard  struggle  for  her,  but 
at  last  she  yielded  in  Christian  resignation,  comforting 
herself  with  the  thought  that  the  Lord  knew  she  would 
have  been  too  proud  and  elated  in  hearing  her  first-born 
in  the  pulpit."  Later  he  writes:  "I  have  already  told 
you  that  mother  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  idea  of 
coming  to  hear  my  sermon.  But  Herr  Decan  gave  her 
a  great  pleasure.  He  is  a  very  skillful  stenographer. 
While  I  was  preaching  he  took  down  the  whole  sermon, 
and  a  few  days  later  paid  a  visit  to  mother  while  I  was 
out,  and  read  it  all  to  her.  It  was  a  lovely  thing  to  do." 
Just  before  leaving  Esslingen  he  received  the  book  "Von 
Continent  zu  Continente"  written  by  Herr  and  Frau 
Roethig,  "quite  unpretentious  and  rather  gossipy;  such 
a  thing  as  people  in  America  would  like  to  read.  I 
am  pleased  to  see  that  our  choir  gets  full  credit  in  the 
Cantor's  statements  about  the  concert  in  St.  Johannis." 
On  the  fourth  of  August  he  sailed  for  America  again 
on  the  Phoenicia,  accompanied  by  his  daughter  Else, 
who  had  spent  the  summer  in  Scotland  and  Germany. 

THE  CONFERENCE  IN  ROSTOCK 

July  21,  1904,  Dr.  Spaeth  left  New  York  on  the 
Hamburg,  as  the  guest  of  the  Hamburg-American  line, 
to  attend  a  convention  of  the  Allgemeine  Konferenz  in 
Rostock.  On  his  way  to  Esslingen  he  visited  Couvet  in 
Switzerland,  "a  quiet  village  lying  in  the  lovely  valley 


SPEYER.— CONGRESS  OF  AMERICANISTS  327 

of  the  Reuss,  hedged  in  by  very  respectable  mountains." 
On  Sunday  he  drove  with  his  old  friend  Cecile  to  a  beau- 
tiful place,  les  Rasses,  nearly  4,000  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea,  where  a  fine  panorama  of  lakes  and  mountains 
was  spread  before  them,  with  the  whole  chain  of  the 
Alps,  from  Mont  Blanc  to  the  Jungfrau,  about  three 
hundred  miles.  On  his  arrival  in  Esslingen  he  "found 
a  letter  from  Professor  Guembel,  the  Chairman  of  the 
committee  for  the  great  Speyer  celebration,  August  30th 
and  31st,  when  the  'Protestationskirche'  is  to  be  conse- 
crated. I  am  appointed  to  make  the  address  after  the 
unveiling  of  the  Luther  Monument,  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  American  Lutherans."  On  account  of  plans 
for  travel  with  his  brother  which  could  not  be  altered, 
he  was  obliged  reluctantly  to  decline  this  invitation. 

August  1 8th.  "I  went  to  Stuttgart  to  see  something 
of  the  Congress  of  Americanists,  opened  in  the 
Koenigsbau  by  the  King  in  person,  who  made  a  very 
neat  speech  welcoming  the  learned  men  to  his  country 
and  capital.  We  listened  to  two  addresses;  one  in 
French  by  a  Parisian  scholar  who  spoke  on  Humboldt's 
journeys  in  Central  and  South  America,  and  one  in 
German  by  Rector  Kapff  of  Stuttgart,  who  spoke  on  the 
influence  of  Wuerttembergers  on  the  Colonization  of 
America.  In  summing  up  the  famous  'Schwaben'  who 
had  obtained  a  prominent  position  in  America,  he  men- 
tioned Spaeth  and  Mann  as  the  two  theologians  among 
them. 

'The  King  had  invited  the  members  of  the  Congress 
to  lunch  with  him  in  his  Villa  Wilhelma,  and  we  found 
trolley  cars  ready  for  the  members  at  the  Koenigsbau,  to 
convey  us  to  Cannstadt.  There  were  in  all  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  who  went.  The  tables  were  set  in  the 
'Festsaal,'  built  in  luxurious  Moorish  style.  I  met  some 
very  pleasant  companions,  and  enjoyed  the  occasion  very 
much.     The  menu  of  the  dejeuner  was  simple  but  ex- 


328  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

quisite,  and  the  wines  particularly  fine.  After  a  'Hoch' 
to  the  King,  to  which  he  responded  in  a  happy  little 
speech,  we  adjourned  to  the  garden  where  cigars  and 
beer  were  served,  the  King  himself  smoking  and  moving 
freely  among  his  guests.  A  few  gentlemen  were  pre- 
sented to  him,  and  he  engaged  in  longer  or  shorter  con- 
versation with  them.  Herman  Bilfinger,  in  whose 
father's  church  I  preached  my  first  sermon  forty-five 
years  ago,  and  who  is  now  'Generaladjutant'  and,  in 
fact,  the  right  hand  of  the  King,  introduced  me  to 
His  Majesty  and  we  were  promptly  in  the  liveliest  con- 
versation. 'How  did  you  happen  to  go  to  Philadelphia?' 
he  asked  me,  and  when  I  began  to  tell  him  of  Scotland, 
where  the  call  had  reached  me  he  at  once  interrupted: 
'Oh,  at  that  time  you  were  in  the  Argyles'  house  as  suc- 
cessor to  the  present  Prelat  Schmid?'  His  interest  in 
our  German  congregations  in  America  was  very  strongly 
expressed,  and  his  amazement  almost  amusing  when  he 
was  told  that  the  Philadelphia  churches  founded  by 
Muehlenberg  in  1742  still  preserve  the  German  language 

in  their  services When   I   thought   I   had 

monopolized  enough  of  his  Majesty's  time  I  bowed  and 
told  him  that  this  meeting  had  been  'a  great  pleasure 
and  honor  to  me.'  Probably  this  winding  up  was  a 
shock  to  the  guardians  of  the  palace  etiquette,  but  the 
King  certainly  was  as  pleasant  as  possible  from  begin- 
ning to  end,  and  made  me  feel  quite  at  home  with  him." 
About  two  weeks  were  spent  very  delightfully  in 
Gmunden  on  the  Trauensee,  where  he  and  his  brother 
and  sister-in-law  were  guests  in  a  beautiful  villa  belong- 
ing to  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Munich.  The  exquisite 
view  included  "the  lake  with  its  crown  of  wild  moun- 
tains, the  Traunstein  rising  to  the  height  of  more  than 
7,000  feet  on  the  other  side.  There  is  a  wonderful 
mixture  of  sweetness  and  grandeur  in  the  whole  land- 
scape."    From  Gmunden  they  made  frequent  excursions 


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CONFERENCE  IN  ROSTOCK  329 

including  a  whole  day  devoted  to  the  Schafberg.  "It 
has  about  the  same  altitude  as  the  Rigi,  and  commands 
a  view  which,  in  some  respects,  is  even  more  beautiful 
than  that  from  the  Rigi.  We  had  a  most  glorious  sight 
of  the  snowy  mountains,  the  Dachstein,  the  Grossglock- 
ner,  etc.,  and  were  told  that  in  many  weeks  the  mountains 
had  not  been  so  clear." 

Esslingen,  September  18,  1904.  "I  preached  in  the 
Frauenkirche  at  the  main  service  for  Herr  Decan  Blank. 
The  large  and  beautiful  church  was  filled  to  overflowing, 
many  people  standing  through  the  whole  service.  It  was 
an  inspiration  to  look  down  upon  this  mass  of  humanity, 
so  quiet,  devout  and  attentive,  and  so  many  men  among 
them.  My  text  was  the  Gospel  for  the  sixteenth  Sunday 
after  Trinity,  the  raising  of  the  widow's  son  at  Nain." 
This  sermon  was  printed  under  the  title:  Gott  hat  Sein 
Volk  heimgesucht. 

One  week  later  he  left  Esslingen  for  Berlin,  reaching 
Rostock  next  day.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  attended 
the  first  meeting  of  the  "Engere  Conference"  a  sort  of 
executive  committee,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  "I 
was  cordially  received  by  Count  Vizthum  the  President, 
and  embraced  and  kissed  by  our  beloved  Bishop  (von 
Scheele)  in  a  perfect  outburst  of  'Wiedersehens-Freude.' 
The  business  transactions  lasted  nearly  four  hours  and 
were  rather  tedious  and  uninteresting.  The  parliamen- 
tary methods  in  vogue  at  this  meeting  appeared  to  my 
American  eye  rather  clumsy,  and  at  some  points  hardly 
fair.  It  was  good  and  necessary  that  I  should  be  present 
at  one  of  these  business  meetings;  but  as  for  a  personal 
participation  in  the  discussions,  or  even  the  formal  pre- 
sentation of  the  greetings  of  the  American  Church,  I 
might  have  stayed  in  Stuttgart  to  hear  and  see  my 
dear  Leipzigers."  The  Quartette  were  to  sing  in  Stutt- 
gart the  very  day  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave.  Two 
minutes  before  his  train  pulled  out   from  the  station, 


330  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

theirs  arrived.  "In  the  evening,  on  reaching  the 
'Tonhalle'  where  the  opening  meeting  of  the  Conference 
was  to  take  place,  the  one  great  difficulty  of  these  days 
at  once  manifested  itself.  There  was  absolutely  no  hall 
large  enough  to  hold  the  crowds  which  came  to  the 
different  meetings.  The  interest  in,  and  enthusiasm  for 
our  Conference  in  Mecklenburg  and  the  good  old 
Hansa-Stadt  Rostock  were  unbounded.  There  is  still 
much  good,  solid,  strong  Lutheran  feeling  and  con- 
sciousness in  this  place. 

"On  Tuesday  morning  the  opening  service  was  held 
in  the  large  Marienkirche,  after  which  the  real  work 
of  the  Conference  began.  We  sat  and  listened  from 
eleven  to  five !  The  two  papers  presented  were  indeed 
admirable  productions,  most  carefully  prepared,  and  full 
of  instruction  and  stimulation.  Immediately  after  the 
adjournment  the  great  banquet  began  at  another  hall. 
Between  five  and  six  hundred  persons  sat  down  to  dinner. 
At  the  request  of  Count  Vizthum  I  made  a  little  after- 
dinner  speech,  toasting  'die  Hebe  alte  Heimat.'  It  roused 
the  people  to  such  enthusiasm  that  they  all  jumped  up 
from  their  chairs  and  joined  in  singing:  'Deutschland, 
Deutschland  ueber  Alles.' 

"Wednesday  forenoon  was  devoted  to  Committee  meet- 
ings for  special  objects.  They  are  a  formal  part  of  the 
program,  their  time  and  themes  for  discussion  are  an- 
nounced, and  they  are  open  to  all.  I  attended  the  one 
on  foreign  relations  and  the  one  for  collectors  for  the 
treasury  of  the  Conference."  At  the  evening  session 
Dr.  Spaeth  had  the  first  address,  speaking  for  over  an 
hour  to  a  very  large  and  attentive  audience.  His  theme 
was:  The  International  Significance  of  the  Lutheran 
Confession.  "Count  Vizthum  thanked  me  most  heartily, 
saying  how  well  he  remembered  my  address  in  Hamburg 


THE  DOM-KIRCHE  IN  BERLIN  33* 

seventeen  years  ago.*  Rector  Bezzel  who  followed 
me  made  an  admirable  speech,  original,  popular,  simple, 
devout  and  at  the  same  time  full  of  richest  stimulating 
thought,  and  adorned  with  beautiful  touches  of  true 
poetry.  It  was,  however,  delivered  in  a  somewhat 
monotonous  and  rather  strained  'Kanzelton'  and  I  am 
sure  will  be  more  enjoyable  when  read  in  print." 

A  few  months  after  his  return  from  Rostock  Dr. 
Spaeth  received  an  invitation  from  the  Emperor  to  at- 
tend the  dedication  of  the  new  Dom-Kirche  in  Berlin. 
Feeling  obliged  to  decline  this  honor,  he  telegraphed  his 
regrets  to  the  German  Ambassador  Baron  von  Sternberg 
through  whom  the  invitation  came,  suggesting  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  Ministerium,  Dr.  J.  J.  Heischman, 
as  his  substitute.  A  number  of  Lutheran  clergymen  in 
New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Washington  sent  congratu- 
lation by  cable,  and  received  a  courteous  telegram  from 
the  Emperor  in  reply. 

VILLA   FICHTENECK 

In  the  summer  of  1907  Dr.  Spaeth  very  reluctantly 
undertook  his  ninth  trip  abroad.  The  Krauth  Library 
and  the  beautiful  stained  glass  windows  in  St.  Johannis 
were  approaching  completion,  and  so  far  he  had  eagerly 
watched  every  step  in  their  progress.  On  the  same  day 
that  he  left  Philadelphia  one  of  his  sons  went  to  the 
hospital  for  an  operation,  which  was  also  a  heavy  burden 
on  the  father's  heart,  although  he  had  every  assurance 
from  the  surgeon  that  all  the  conditions  were  favorable. 

*In  1898  Pastor  Goedel  had  written:  "Graf  Vizthum  actually 
said— I  wrote  it  down  immediately  for  you— Tn  1887  a  representa- 
tive of  the  brethren  in  America  brought  us  such  an  earnest,  warm 
greeting  over  the  sea,  that  our  hearts  reeled !'  (uns  das  Herz  wackel- 
te)." 


332  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  June  he  left  Baltimore  on  the 
steamer  Rhein.  "Many  a  time  I  had  been  present  when 
such  a  floating  city  left  the  dock,  either  on  deck  as  a 
passenger  myself,  or  as  the  friend  of  a  passenger  who  had 
accompanied  him  to  the  ship.  But  I  believe  I  had  never 
seen  on  such  an  occasion,  such  crowds  of  people  and  such 
a  demonstration.  Thousands  stood  on  the  wharf  waving 
flags  and  handkerchiefs,  and  calling  out  farewell  mes- 
sages to  departing  friends.  A  German  singing  society 
of  Baltimore  had  brought  several  bands  with  them. 
Their  tender,  half  melancholy  'Fahr  wohl !  Fahr  wohl !' 
was  at  last  drowned  and  swallowed  up  in  the  crashing 
music  on  the  ship,  as  our  orchestra  struck  up  the  defiant 
'Muss  i'  denn.' — But  amid  all  this  uproar  my  eyes  grew 
dim.  I  felt  very  lonely  and  forsaken,  and  prayed  from 
the  bottom  of  my  heart:  'Lord  preserve  my  going  out 
and  my  coming  in  from  this  time  forth,  and  even  for 
evermore.'"  (K.  B.*) 

Sunday,  June  30th.  "It  is  well  known  that  on 
German  ships  the  familiar  bugle  calls  of  the  army  are 
heard  all  day  long.  For  rising,  for  breakfast,  etc.,  the 
signals  are  used  exactly  as  in  the  barracks  for  meals 
and  drill.  Today,  however,  we  began  with  a  different 
sound.  'Wachet  auf,  ruft  uns  die  Stimme,' — so  the 
orchestra  played,  with  trumpet  and  trombone,  a  very 
earnest  and  solemn  greeting  in  the  early  Sunday  morning. 
It  was  only  intended  to  waken  the  sleepers,  and  probably 
few  who  heard  it  realized  the  import  of  this  powerful 
call,  this  heavenly  suggestion  of  the  last  trump !  A  fresh, 
vigorous  morning  hymn  like  our  beautiful  'Die  gueldne 
Sonne'  would  really  have  been  more  appropriate, 
especially  as  the  goodness  of  God  had  given  us  a  'golden 
Sun-day'  in  the  fullest  sense.  But  who  will  remonstrate 
when  such  a  glorious  melody  as  that  of  the  'King  of 

*  Kirchenbote,  Reisebriefe,  1907. 


THE  FOURTH  AT  SEA  333 

Chorales'  resounds  over  the  mighty  deep?  May  we  not 
rejoice  and  thank  God,  that  our  Germans  are  not  only 
a  nation  of  soldiers,  familiar  with  barrack  signals,  but 
also  a  Christian  nation  in  whose  heart  a  greeting  from 
the  home  above  wakens  joy  and  gladness ;  and  to  whom 
the  most  precious  legacy  from  their  fathers,  the  evangeli- 
cal Chorale,  is  still  a  treasure  and  a  power?"  (K.  B.) 

After  the  first  Sunday  service,  in  which  Dr.  Spaeth 
declined  taking  part  as  there  were  a  number  of  younger 
clergymen  on  board,  he  and  a  few  others  formed  a 
quartette  which  sang  on  deck  every  pleasant  evening, 
contributing  not  a  little  to  the  enjoyment  of  their  fellow 
passengers.  "Even  the  better  element  of  Americans 
crowded  about  them  attracted  by  the  charming  German 
Folk-songs ;  and  when  they  came  to  the  Chorales,  to  'Ein 
Feste  Burg'  or  'Jerusalem  du  hochgebaute  Stadt,'  with 
the  solemn  stars  shining  down  upon  them,  a  feeling  akin 
to  worship  came  over  them  all,  deeper,  more  earnest  than 
even  the  loveliest  Folk-songs  could  produce." 

July  4th.  "  'The  Fourth'  on  the  high  sea — that  was 
a  new  experience  for  me.  It  was  a  real  pleasure  to 
escape  from  the  obligato  snapping  and  popping  of  fire- 
crackers and  pistol-shots,  with  which  the  patriotic 
American  juveniles,  young  and  old,  are  accustomed  to 
spend  this  day  on  shore.  Neither  could  we  complain  of 
the  usual  Fourth  of  July  heat.  The  north  wind  was 
so  raw  and  sharp  that  I  expected  a  snow  flurry  any 
minute  from  the  cold,  gray  clouds.  A  committee  of 
passengers  had  prepared  an  extended  program  for  the 
day,  which  was  carried  out  with  universal  enthusiasm. 
Instead  of  the  morning  bugle-call  the  orchestra  greeted 
us  at  seven  o'clock  with  the  melody,  'Ein  feste  Burg  ist 
unser  Gott.'  A  son  of  Abraham  who  stood  beside  me 
as  we  listened,  turned  up  his  nose  at  this  tune,  to  him 
unknown.  'Why  don't  they  begin  with  "My  country  'tis 
of  thee?"  '  he  growled.     'What  kind  of  a  tune  is  that, 


334  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

anyhow?'  I  explained  to  him  briefly  and  concisely:  'That 
tune,  sir,  is  "a  mighty  Fortress  is  our  God,"  and  to  it 
rightly  belongs  the  first  place  in  our  national  celebration, 
for  where  a  nation  does  not  possess  and  guard  this 
Fortress,  it  goes  to  ruin.  Therefore,  first  "a  mighty 
Fortress,"  and  afterwards  "My  Country."  '  Half  an 
hour  later  the  stars  and  stripes  were  hoisted  at  the  fore- 
mast, and  the  cannon  fired  a  salute.  The  orchestra  played 
the  National  Hymn,  and  everyone  greeted  the  flag  with 
enthusiastic  cheers  and  waving  of  handkerchiefs."  The 
real  celebration  at  ten  o'clock  included  a  concert  by  the 
orchestra,  the  singing  of  patriotic  songs,  and  an  address 
by  a  young  Episcopalian  pastor,  which  on  the  whole  was 
quite  good  and  appropriate.  Dr.  Spaeth  was  provoked, 
however,  that  in  describing  the  well  known  scene  where 
Peter  Muehlenberg  exchanged  his  gown  for  a  uniform, 
the  orator  forgot  to  tell  his  hearers  that  the  congregation 
in  Woodstock,  Va.,  was  a  German  Lutheran  congrega- 
tion. He  called  it  "Episcopalian,"  a  curious  historical 
perversion  by  a  man  who  ought  to  have  known  better! 
A  dance  on  the  be-flagged  and  illuminated  deck  ended 
the  day. 

On  landing  in  Bremen  Dr.  Spaeth  found  among  his 
letters  a  cablegram  with  the  one  word  "well"  which 
quieted  his  anxiety  over  his  son's  condition,  and  filled  his 
heart  with  thanksgiving.  A  few  days  later  he  joined 
his  daughter,  who  was  visiting  friends  in  the  beautiful 
Villa  Fichteneck  on  the  Ebensee.  Here  for  eight  days 
the  rain  poured  in  torrents.  The  whole  valley  at 
Ebensee,  at  the  south  end  of  the  Trauensee  was  flooded, 
and  over  the  high,  steep  walls  of  rock  the  improvised 
cascades  plunged  down  to  the  lake.  Verily  a  different 
picture  from  that  of  1904,  when,  for  three  weeks,  he 
had  enjoyed  the  wonderfully  beautiful  Trauensee  in  un- 
clouded sunshine.  "The  first  fine  day  I  went  down  the 
lake  to  Gmunden,  to  my  dear  old  friend  Senior  Koch, 


THE  LEIPZIGER  AT  EBENSEE  335 

pastor  of  the  Lutheran  church  there.  From  him  I 
learned  to  my  great  surprise  and  delight  that  on  the  fol- 
lowing Monday  the  Leipzig  Quartette  were  to  give  a  con- 
cert in  his  church!  I  had  set  that  afternoon  for  my 
departure,  but  of  course  this  news  changed  my  plans." 
(K.  B.) 

July  23.  "Yesterday  was  the  day  for  the  concert  of 
our  Leipzig  friends  in  the  Gmunden  church.  We  were 
in  Ebensee  in  good  time  for  the  afternoon  steamer  as  we 
had  been  invited  to  meet  the  singers  at  coffee  in  the 
manse.  What  was  our  surprise  when  we  found  Frau 
Pastor  Koch  at  the  wharf,  and  learned  that  the  route  of 
the  Quartette  had  been  changed,  and  that  they  were  now 
coming  from  Ischl,  to  proceed  to  Gmunden  by  the  very 
boat  we  were  to  take !  After  a  long  half  hour  their  train 
rolled  into  the  station.  I  was  to  receive  the  singers  first, 
the  rest  of  our  party  waiting  in  the  background.  Frau 
Cantor  had  espied  me  from  the  train,  and  at  once 
recognized  me,  though  she  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of 
my  being  in  Europe.  She  hardly  waited  till  the  train 
stopped,  to  rush  upon  me!  The  Cantor  followed  with 
a  greeting  not  less  demonstrative!  It  was  a  scene  ( !) 
which,  I  suppose,  the  large  gathering  of  tourists  at  the 
station  thoroughly  enjoyed.  I  did  not  care.  It  was  too 
sweet  for  anything !  *  Today  they  will  sing  at  the 
Cumberland  Castle,  and  dine  with  the  'Welf  dynasty. 
In  the  afternoon  they  will  pass  through  Ebensee  again 
on  their  way  to  Aussee  where  they  have  a  concert  this 
evening.  Herr  Cantor  was  quite  willing  to  stop  at 
Ebensee  for  a  short  visit  to  the  Villa  Fichteneck,  but  as 
it  would  have  crowded  them  too  much,  I  thought  it  un- 
fair to  insist  on  it."  (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.) 

"On  Wednesday  they  were  to  give  a  concert  in  Salz- 

*  One  of  those  relegated  to  "the  background"  reported  later : 
"Some  of  the  Austrians  standing  near  were  highly  amused  and 
exclaimed,  'Hobt  ihr  je  so  e'  Freud'  g'sehe'?'" 


336  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

burg,  so  we  bade  them  farewell.  That  morning  we  went 
rowing  on  the  lake.  After  rowing  for  a  considerable 
distance  along  the  rocky  shore,  we  landed  and  climbed 
about  the  steep  slopes  plucking  the  lovely  cyclamen  which 
grows  here  in  such  abundance.  Coming  back,  as  we  ap- 
proached the  boat-house,  suddenly  we  heard  singularly 
beautiful,  yet  familiar  sounds.  A  glorious  song  in  four 
parts  came  to  us  across  the  water.  Involuntarily  we 
stopped  rowing.  Traetorius !'  said  I,  'How  does  he  get 
here?'  The  Leipziger!'  cried  Carola.  'Not  possible! 
They  are  on  the  way  to  Salzburg!'  But  it  was  really 
they.  There  stood  the  Quartette  on  the  shore  and  greeted 
us  with  their  lovely  'Lobsingt  dem  Herrn.'  They  had 
turned  back  once  more  from  Aussee  to  give  us  this  ex- 
quisite pleasure  and  surprise.  At  the  Villa  they  had 
found  the  old  lady  alone,  and  greeted  her  with  the 
'Lieblich  Engelspiel.'  Then  little  Rudel  the  steward's 
grandson  led  them  down  to  the  lake,  where  they  hoped 
to  find  us.  We  had  only  a  few  minutes  together  before 
the  carriage  bore  them  away  to  their  train,  but  still  the 
distant  notes  came  back  to  us,  'Weit,  weit,  reis  ich  noch 
heut!'  and  then,  like  a  beautiful  dream,  they  had  van- 
ished." (K.  B.) 

"FAREWELL  DEAR  GERMANY !" 

On  the  Rhein  Dr.  Spaeth  had  been  obliged  to  take 
what  he  could  get,  in  the  way  of  accommodation,  as  his 
decision  to  go  abroad  had  been  rather  sudden.  "Some- 
times I  feel  as  if  this  would  positively  be  my  last  voyage. 
I  seem  to  have  lost  all  appetite  for  it.  But  possibly  it  is 
only  the  result  of  the  terrible  contrast  over  against  the 
comforts  I  enjoyed  on  my  last  trip  on  the  Hamburg. 
And  with  two  in  a  cabin  probably  I  would  not  think  it 
such  a  formidable  undertaking  after  all,  to  repeat  it 
once  more."     His  quarters  on  the  Gneisenau  for  the  re- 


THE   PENNSYLVANIA  337 

turn  trip  were  all  that  he  could  wish,  a  comfortable,  airy- 
cabin  with  one  congenial  companion,  over  against  a 
small  room  crowded  with  six  men,  most  of  whom  con- 
sidered fresh  air  dangerous  (one  suffering  from  tuber- 
culosis), which  had  fallen  to  his  lot  on  the  Rhein.  And 
so,  on  the  second  of  June,  1909,  he  set  forth  for  the  last 
time,  taking  Mrs.  Spaeth  with  him.  We  wished  to 
make  an  informal  tour  of  Switzerland,  to  spend  a  few 
weeks  with  the  beloved  daughter  whom  he  had  married 
in  1907,  to  celebrate  the  first  birthday  of  her  boy,  and 
to  take  part  in  the  reunion  of  the  Promotion  in  Blau- 
beuren.  Beyond  this  our  plan  was,  to  have  no  plan.  We 
took  no  round-trip  tickets.  When  we  were  tired  we 
rested  where  we  found  comfort  and  beauty.  Except  a 
few  notes  in  Dr.  Spaeth's  Diary,  little  more  than  a  series 
of  dates,  the  only  record  of  this  journey  is  in  Mrs. 
Spaeth's  "Line  a  Day." 

Our  quarters  on  the  Pennsylvania  were  very  com- 
fortable. Our  nearest  neighbors  on  deck  and  at  the 
table  were  refined  and  intelligent  people.  There  were 
many  Jews  on  the  ship.  Among  them  a  young  Doctor 
and  his  mother  proved  most  congenial  companions,  and 
gradually  the  conversation  at  table  was  largely  between 
them  and  Dr.  Spaeth. 

June  9th.  "Adolph  has  worked  up  through  music, 
art,  travel,  classic  and  modern  literature,  and  is  ready 
now  to  teach  theology  to  all  these  pupils  who  so  gladly 
sit  at  his  feet.  Today  at  dinner  the  subject  of  Faith 
came  up.  Adolph  spoke  very  earnestly  and  impressively. 
The  young  Doctor  asked  if  that  was  professional,  or 
really  his  personal  conviction,  and  received  a  reply  that 
brought  tears  to  his  eyes."  Three  days  later  he  and  his 
mother  left  the  ship  at  Plymouth,  after  a  touching  fare- 
well to  Dr.  Spaeth,  showing  real  gratitude  and  affection. 
June  1 2th.  "Bishop's  Rock  in  the  morning,  a  lighthouse 
directly  in  front  of  us,  white  and  ghostlike  on  the  horizon. 


338  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

.  .  .  .  In  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  Lizards, 
soon  Eddystone  lighthouse  loomed  up,  winking  at  us 
from  a  distance,  and  then  we  went  down  to  the  Captain's 
dinner,  the  closing  festivity  before  landing  our  Plymouth 

contingent The  first  officer  had  conveyed 

to  the  company  the  good  wishes  of  our  host,  Captain 
Schmidt,  but  no  one  responded.  At  the  Doctor's  sug- 
gestion Adolph  then  spoke.  The  people  were  in  raptures, 
and  gave  'Dreimal  Hoch!'  with  great  enthusiasm,  the 
band  scuttling  in  as  soon  as  they  could  catch  the  key  in 
which  Adolph  had  begun  to  sing."  The  Diary  says  of 
this  speech:  "A  silly  girl  (ein  junges  Schaeckelchen) 
paid  me  the  compliment,  'You  have  well  expressed  just 
what  /  would  have  said  on  this  occasion !'".... 
"The  sunset  was  most  beautiful.  The  sun  was  very 
red,  in  a  golden  sky,  the  low  lands  toward  Plymouth 
were  rich  purple,  the  water  deep  green,  and  from  the 
shore  to  the  ship  a  broad  band  of  red-gold  sparkled  as 
wave  after  wave  caught  the  radiance  of  the  sinking 
sun."  June  13th.  "We  have  all  been  so  sorry  for  a 
poor  young  French  girl,  very  sweet  looking  but  entirely 
blind.  She  landed  at  Cherbourg.  Adolph  summoned 
courage  to  say  to  her  as  we  approached  land,  'Voila,  la 
belle  France!'  She  replied  in  French,  'Yes,  I  am  very 
happy!'  and  then,  fearing  he  had  not  understood,  she 
added,  l\tvree  happee!' " 

We  were  to  be  the  guests  of  Pastor  Cordes  in  Ham- 
burg, but  reaching  the  city  at  midnight  went  to  a  hotel, 
and  next  morning  took  an  open  carriage  to  his  house. 
June  15th.  "Hamburg  is  very  stately,  very  busy,  very 
beautiful,  with  all  its  finer  houses  buried  in  flowers  and 
green.    The  rhododendrons,  azaleas,  laburnum  and  great 

hawthorns  are  in  full  bloom Mr.   Cordes 

was  completely  surprised,  as  the  papers  had  stated  that 
the  Pennsylvania  could  only  reach  Hamburg  at  ten  this 
morning After  showing  us  the  parsonage 


MONTREUX   TO   LAUTERBRUNNEN  339 

and  parish  house,  which  he  planned  himself  in  every 
detail,  he  drove  with  us  through  the  city  as  far  as  our 

time  allowed We  saw  the  spires  of  the 

various  Lutheran  churches,  also  the  fine  Rathhaus,  but 
very  superficially,  as  a  new  picture  gallery  was  open  for 
private  view,  'Directors  only'  and  the  public  was  not 

admitted.     'Next  time!'  said  Mr.  Cordes 

We  had  also  seen  his  church  before  going  driving.  It  is 
large  and  handsome,  but  we  thought  it  too  dark." 

June  1 8th.  "From  Basel  to  Montreux  we  travelled 
by  the  road  through  the  French  Jura,  and  although  we 
lost  much  by  the  fog,  we  still  had  wonderful  glimpses 
of  the  rocky  or  thickly  wooded  ranges,  which  would 
suddenly  give  place  to  wide,  open  country,  and  cultiva- 
tion  again When  we   reached   Montreux 

Pastor  Goedel  and  the  younger  children  were  at  the 
station.  For  a  week  we  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  the 
parsonage,  making  excursions  in  the  picturesque  neigh- 
borhood  On  the  twenty-second  Adolph 

and  Pastor  Goedel  set  off  for  Zermatt,  returning  next 
day.  They  had  fought  their  way  through  snow  and 
storm  to  Gorner  Grat,  Adolph  nearly  succumbing  to  the 
rarified  air,  and  Pastor  Goedel  nearly  frozen.  But  next 
morning  the  weather  was  ideally  beautiful,  and  the  view 
of  Matterhorn  and  Gorner  Grat  repaid  all  their  exertion. 
Adolph  says  it  was  the  finest  he  ever  saw." 

June  24th.  "Lunched  at  Interlaken  and  then  took  a 
carriage  for  our  next  train.  The  driver,  finding  we  had 
no  tickets,  suggested  that  he  could  take  us  in  good  time 
to  Lauterbrunnen,  where  we  would  have  changed  cars 
in  any  case.  The  carriage  was  very  clean  and  com- 
fortable, the  weather  had  cleared  gloriously,  so  we  fol- 
lowed his  advice.  Adolph  says  this  drive  up  the 
Lauterbrunn  Valley  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
world.  It  was  certainly  the  most  beautiful  I  ever  took, 
and  we  had  time  to  admire  everything  we  saw.     The 


340  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

mountains  were  grand,  and  close  to  the  road  at  the 
right  the  forest  ran  up  out  of  sight,  with  tinkling  little 
cascades  running  down,  and  always  the  river  rushing 
and  foaming  along  on  the  other  side.  .  .  .  Before 
our  windows  at  the  Bellevue  in  Klein-Scheidegg  we  had 
the  wonderful  range  Eiger,  Moench,  Jungfrau,  with 
Silberhorn  and  other  peaks.  We  heard  the  roar  of  an 
avalanche  and  saw  the  last  shower  of  snow,  like  a 
smaller  Staubbach  on  the  rugged  face  of  the  Jungfrau." 

June  25th.  "This  has  been  the  one  really  disagreeable 
day  in  our  trip  so  far.  Cold  rain  now  and  then,  open 
cars  after  Lauterbrunnen,  then  the  open  boat  with  men 
and  one  woman  ( !)  puffing  tobacco  smoke  into  our  faces 
at  every  turn.  ...  I  had  enough  of  lake  steamers. 
But — the  Giessbach  and  the  hotel,  and  the  beautiful 
woods,  and  the  long  pergola  like  the  deck  of  a  ship 
where  we  are  the  only  passengers,  for  it  is  so  early  in 
the  season  that  there  are  only  nine  guests  in  the  house. 
At  once  I  made  up  my  mind:  no  more  open  boats  for 
me!  We  will  stay  here.  Adolph  readily  agreed  to  my 
wish.  'I  was  sure  you  would  like  it  here,'  he  said." 
June  26th.  "No  greedy  train  waiting  for  us  this  morn- 
ing. We  got  up  when  we  felt  like  it,  and  had  the  usual 
Swiss  breakfast,   coffee  with  hot  milk,   delicious  rolls, 

sweet  butter  and  clear  honey We  walked 

slowly  up  to  a  little  pavilion  from  which  we  saw  the 
whole  lake,  Brienz  and  Interlaken,  with  a  bit  of  the 
Thunersee.  Home  to  a  nice  lunch,  and  then  the  rain 
poured  in  torrents.  I  regretted  the  Vierwaldstaettersee 
less  than  ever.  Getting  up  just  now  to  see  the  steamer 
go  out,  I  caught  a  strong  whiff  of  tobacco  which  seemed 
to  come  from  her,  but  probably  only  from  the  terrace 
below." 

June  27th.  "We  had  rather  a  poor  train  to  Luzern, 
but  a  very  lovely  mountain  journey  again.  .  .  .  The 
clouds  hung  too  low  to  see  plainly,  but  we  caught  glimpses 


TUEBINGEN,  REICHENAU  341 

of  the  Wetterhorn  and  Pilatus,  also  of  the  Vierwald- 

staettersee,  much  like  what  we  have  seen 

Lunched  at  Zuerich,  then  on  to  Neuhausen  and  Rheinfall. 
Next  morning  to  Tuebingen."  June  30th.  "Adolph  took 
me  to  his  fraternity  house,  the  old  place  rebuilt  so  suc- 
cessfully, which  we  already  had  in  pictures.  We  were 
shown  round  by  a  young  fellow  from  Esslingen  who 
treated  the  old  'fellow'  as  if  he  were  the  king  at  least. 
To  the  castle  was  only  a  few  steps,  and  we  went  about 
a  little  there.  The  chapel  was  closed  where  Adolph  had 
preached  his  'Angel  of  Philadelphia'  sermon."  July  3d. 
"Today  dinner  with  the  Abeggs.  .  .  .  Their  apart- 
ment is  in  a  house  that  is  four  hundred  and  fifty  years 
old,  an  odd,  ramshackle  affair.  One  of  the  windows 
looked  out  on  the  quaintest  bit  of  Tuebingen  I  have  yet 
seen,  a  narrow  alley,  with  century-old  houses,  and  worn 
stone  stairs  between  them, — a  bit  right  out  of  Hans 
Christian  Andersen.  A  single  gutter  was  cut  in  the 
centre  of  the  five  or  six  foot  wide  street,  and  all  was 
as  clean  as  clean  could  be.  A  stork  flew  by  as  we  sat 
on  the  balcony,  and  it  was  altogether  one  of  the  strang- 
est, most  interesting,  dreamlike  experiences  of  this  won- 
derful summer." 

On  the  fifth  of  July  we  left  Tuebingen  for  Salzburg, 
and  on  the  seventh  reached  Reichenau,  where  we  spent 
five  quiet  weeks  with  the  dear  ones  there,  varied  with 
lovely  drives  up  the  mountains,  a  trip  to  the  Semmering, 
and  many  interesting  walks.  On  Sunday  Dr.  Spaefrh 
held  service  regularly  in  the  Villa,  following  the  order 
of  the  Kirchenbuch.  For  the  birthday  celebration  our 
"Hausgemeinde"  was  augmented  by  the  arrival  of  one 
of  our  sons,  and  we  held  a  full  liturgical  service,  with 
all  the  responses  sung.  Our  good  friends,  accustomed 
only  to  the  empty  forms  of  the  Austrian  State  Church, 
found  that  ours  had  "so  much  more  heart  in  them." 
The  parish  priest,  quite  an  intelligent  gentleman,  who 


342  EUROPEAN  TRAVEL 

called  on  us  and  was  much  interested  in  liturgies  and  the 
Kirchenbuch,  was  even  quite  sure  that  Adolph  "would 
not  be  considered  a  Lutheran,  in  Berlin!"  About  the 
middle  of  August  we  went  to  Vienna  for  a  few  days, 
accompanied  by  our  daughter.  The  Ring,  the  galleries, 
the  shops,  the  parks,  the  "show  places"  in  general  are 
fine.  The  rest  of  the  city  we  found  monotonous  and 
dreary.  One  evening  we  were  to  go  to  the  Volksgarten, 
where  the  music  is  very  good,  but  were  fortunately  too 
tired.  Next  day  we  learned  that  there  had  been  a  riot 
there  among  the  turbulent  Czech  element,  and  seven 
hundred  police  had  been  called  out. 

On  the  sixteenth  of  August  we  took  the  fine  Oriental 
express  for  Ulm,  whence  a  short  ride  brought  us  to 
Blaubeuren  for  the  re-union  on  the  seventeenth.  Fifteen 
out  of  twenty-four  survivors  of  the  Promotion  were 
present,  with  a  few  ladies.  We  wandered  through  the 
picturesque  cloister,  saw  the  chapel  which  was  in  process 
of  restoration,  and  the  quaint  old  town,  walked  along 
the  Blautopf,  and  then  sat  down  to  a  very  good  dinner 
and  gave  ourselves  up  to  reminiscence.  There  was  much 
to  say  about  a  certain  "Paeuli"  (pronounced  Pylee),  the 
pretty  daughter  of  a  teacher  in  the  Real-Schule,  who  had 
been  the  "flame  of  the  whole  Promotion."  A  telegram 
of  congratulation,  ostensibly  from  Paeuli,  was  produced 
by  Professor  Euting.  Another  member  of  the  Promotion 
had  brought  along  a  very  diminutive  sheet,  probably  a 
number  of  Satura,  illustrated  with  a  pen  and  ink  draw- 
ing of  Paeuli  coquetting  with  a  love-lorn  representative 
of  the  Promotion,  and  Papa  in  the  background  with  a 
large  bundle  of  switches.  "I  made  that !"  exclaimed  Dr. 
Spaeth,  and  sure  enough,  in  one  corner  were  the  tiny 
initials  A.  S.  The  same  evening  we  were  in  Friedrichs- 
hafen,  and  on  the  twenty-second  sailed  from  Hamburg 
on  the  President  Grant.  On  the  second  of  September, 
exactly  three  months  after  we  left  home,  we  were  safely 
in  Mt.  Airy. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

AMERICA.      FAMILY  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE 
1864-1910 

Wenn  es  Gottes  Wille  ist  dass  ich  graue  Haare  erlcbe, 
will  ich  doch  ein  Juengling  bleiben  in  lebendigem 
Eifer  und  in  der  Begeisterung  fuers  Wahre  und  Gute ; 
und  der  Mann  soil  sich  nur  darin  zeigen  dass  diese 
Begeisterung  sich  nicht  mehr  auf  falsche,  unwuerdige 
Gegenstaende  wirft,  sondern  die  wahren  und  hoech- 
sten  Lebensziele  ergreift—  Tagcbuch,  1864. 

Dr.  Spaeth's  familiarity  with  so  much  that  is  beautiful 
in  nature  and  art  abroad,  never  made  him  less  apprecia- 
tive of  things  nearer  home.  A  sunset  viewed  from  his 
own  porch,  a  bunch  of  delicate  or  gorgeous  wild  flowers 
gathered  in  the  neighboring  meadows,  the  quiet  sea 
lightly  quivering  under  the  soft  silvery  moonbeams,  or 
the  same  sea  lashed  into  fury  by  a  September  gale — 
filled  him  with  pleasure.  When  he  first  arrived  in  Phila- 
delphia Fairmount  Park  consisted  mainly  of  a  narrow 
strip  on  the  east  side  of  the  Schuylkill,  connected  with 
the  old  water  works.  Toward  the  end  of  the  sixties  the 
plan  took  shape,  of  extending  the  Park  on  both  sides 
of  the  river  as  far  as,  and  including,  the  romantic 
Wissahickon  Valley.  This  plan,  conceived  in  large 
measure  for  protecting  Philadelphia's  drinking  water 
from  contamination,  has  given  this  city  a  park  almost 
unequalled  in  the  whole  world  for  extent  and  natural 
beauty.  A  brother-in-law  of  Dr.  Spaeth,  a  great  traveller 
in  the  Orient,  was  delighted  with  the  prospect  from  the 
height  back  of  George's  Hill  which  reminded  him  of 

343 


344  SEEING  AMERICA 

the  view  of  Damascus.  "In  praising  the  loveliness  of 
our  Park  I  speak  from  fullest  personal  experience.  My 
most  pleasant  hours  of  leisure  were  spent  on  its  shores, 
in  its  quiet  hollows  and  shady  thickets.  At  first  with 
my  wife  and  sister  and  later  with  the  growing  boys, 
many  a  free  afternoon  we  enjoyed  its  wonderful  beauty 
and  refreshed  our  brick-weary  eyes  with  its  fresh  ver- 
dure and  bubbling  fountains."  (Erinnerungen.) 

TRAVEL  IN  AMERICA 

Either  with  Mrs.  Spaeth  or  with  friends  Dr.  Spaeth 
visited  many  places  of  interest  in  the  Eastern  States; 
Niagara  Falls  several  times,  Boston,  Newport,  the 
Hudson  River,  the  Adirondacks  and  the  Catskills.  His 
attendance  at  Synod  and  the  General  Council  made 
him  acquainted  with  most  of  the  important  cities  on 
the  Atlantic  seaboard,  and  as  far  west  as  St.  Paul  and 
Minneapolis.  Charleston  and  Savannah  were  his 
furthest  points  south.  On  such  journeys  he  seldom 
found  time  for  detailed  letters,  and  in  those  busy  years 
the  Diary  also  was  much  neglected.  His  visit  to 
Gettysburg  was  due  partly  to  his  lively  interest  in 
military  matters,  and  partly  to  his  hope  of  collecting 
material  there  for  the  Krauth  Biography  on  which  he 
was  then  at  work. 

December  29,  1885.  "I  started  with  John  (Krauth) 
for  the  battlefield  immediately  after  breakfast.  With 
the  help  of  a  good  pair  of  horses  we  'did'  it  in  about 
three  hours.  We  first  went  straight  up  to  Cemetery 
Hill  along  the  Baltimore  Pike,  visiting  the  batteries 
there  on  which  the  fearful  onslaught  of  the  Louisiana 
Tigers  was  made.  From  there  to  Culp's  Hill,  then  back 
to  the  Emmitsburg  Road,  and  to  the  extreme  point  of 
the  left  wing  of  the  Union  army  where  the  severe 
fighting  took  place,  on  the  afternoon  of  July  2d.     Then 


THE  BATTLEFIELD  OF  GETTYSBURG  345 

we  turned  to  the  left  through  the  wild  and  rocky  defiles 
of  the  Devil's  Den  up  to  Little  Round  Top,  where  a 
magnificent  panorama  of  the  battlefield  opened  before 
our  eyes.  After  descending  we  drove  along  the  'Avenue' 
laid  out  by  the  Battlefield  Association,  which  marks  the 
front  of  the  Union  centre  on  July  third.     This  led  us 

to  the  point  of  Pickett's  Charge I  saw  the 

place  of  the  Pittsburgh  Battery  where  Frank  Weyman 
was  wounded.  On  reaching  the  town  again  we  drove 
out  the  Chambersburg  Road  as  far  as  'Reynolds'  Woods' 
returning  by  the  Mummasburg  Road  back  of  Pennsyl- 
vania College,  thus  taking  in  the  field  of  the  first  day's 
battle.  I  don't  think  any  other  battlefield  in  the  world 
is  so  clearly  lined  out  and  so  beautifully  marked  in  its 
most  prominent  spots,  as  this.  And  I  am  very  glad 
to  have  had  this  opportunity  of  going  in  reality  over 
what  was,  to  my  imagination,  already  well  known 
ground.  After  dinner  Dr.  Hay  called,  as  Dr.  Wolf 
and  Professor  Croll  had  done  the  evening  before,  and 
after  a  little  chat  we  started  together  for  the  Seminary. 
I  climbed  up  to  the  cupola  and  enjoyed  the  extensive 
view  from  there ;  then  through  the  library  to  Dr.  Hay's 
house  where  I  sat  in  pleasant  talk  in  his  study, — your 
grandfather's  kitchen."  (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.) 

THE  EXPOSITION   IN  BUFFALO 

During  the  meeting  of  the  Convocation  of  Church 
Musicians  in  Buffalo  Dr.  Spaeth  saw  something  of  the 
Exposition.  Of  this  he  writes:  "The  architectural 
arrangements  and  ensemble  interested  me  more  than  the 
exhibits  themselves.  The  plan  of  the  whole  and  the 
peculiar  Spanish-South-American  style  of  architecture 
are  admirable.  We  paid  a  visit  to  our  new  'citizen  sub- 
jects' the  Philipinos,  who  have  a  complete  village  with 
stores,  manufactures,  games,  sorcerers  and  theatre.     A 


346  SEEING  AMERICA 

very  creditable  band  of  ten  young  Philipinos,  with  three 
violins,  the  rest  all  guitars  of  different  sizes  down  to  a 
very  bass  guitar,  played  the  overture  to  a  Spanish  opera, 
and  accompanied  some  singers  and  dancers  in  their 
national  costumes,  all  very  proper  and  decent.  The 
poor  fellows  had  to  wind  up  with  the  'Star-Spangled 
Banner'  for  which,  as  an  object  lesson,  an  American  flag 
descended  from  the  loft  over  the  stage.  This  per- 
formance was  rather  too  much  for  me,  and  I  am  sorry 
to  confess — after  my  speech  on  Saturday  night — I  left 
the  theatre  during  the  national  air!*  The  greatest 
charm  of  the  Exposition  is  undoubtedly  the  electric 
illumination  for  which  Niagara  furnishes  the  power. 
Words  utterly  fail  me  to  describe  the  heavenly  beauty 
of  the  moment  when  the  whole  mass  of  buildings  with 
their  elaborate  and  rich  architectural  outlines,  begin  to 
glow  and  glisten  like  myriads  of  stars  that  had  descended 
to  earth  to  adorn  the  work  of  human  hands.  O  for  a 
choir  to  intone  at  that  moment,  and  on  that  spot, 
'Jerusalem,  Du  hochgebaute  Stadt!'"  (A.  S.  to 
H.  R.  S.) 

CHARLESTON  AND  SAVANNAH 

November  17,  1894.  "Two  weeks  ago,  the  first 
time  that  I  went  so  far  south,  I  visited  Savannah  and 
Charleston.  In  the  latter  city  I  preached  the  festival 
sermon  in  English,  for  the  combined  Reformation 
Service  of  the  four  Lutheran  churches  there.  In  Savan- 
nah, one  hundred  and  fifteen  miles  further  south,  they 
celebrated  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
the  founding  of  the  Lutheran  congregation,  which  is 
connected  with  the  immigration  of  the  persecuted  Salz- 

*At  the  celebration  of  Deutscher  Tag,  just  before  leaving  for 
the  Convocation,  he  had  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  stars  and 
stripes.  But  German  American  citizens,  and  'citizen-subjects,'  from 
the  Philippines  were  two  very  different  propositions  to  him. 


CHARLESTON  347 

burgers,  in  the  thirties  of  the  last  century.  From 
Sunday  until  Thursday  I  delivered  four  sermons,  two 
English  and  two  German,  in  these  two  cities,  and  re- 
joiced in  the  warm,  even  enthusiastic  interest  in  the 
Mother  Church  of  the  Reformation  which  I  everywhere 
found.  In  both  cities  the  German  Lutherans  form  an 
important  and  influential  element  of  the  population,  and 
are  generally  well  to  do,  and  much  respected.  In 
Charleston  the  city  government  is  now  mostly  in  the 
hands  of  respectable  Germans,  since  the  citizens  broke 
up  the  misrule  of  an  Irish  'Ring.'  I  enjoyed  very  much 
the  days  I  spent  in  these  cities,  and  everything  was  done 
to  make  my  stay  as  pleasant  as  possible.  I  walked  under 
palmettos,  bananas  and  magnolias,  visiting  many  places 
which,  through  our  great  Civil  War  have  become  his- 
torical, such  as  Fort  Sumter,  where  in  February,  1861, 
the  Confederates  fired  for  the  first  time  on  the  national 
flag."  (A.  S.  to  Hole.) 

"On  Saturday  forenoon  we  went  to  the  church  (St. 
Matthew's)  which  has  an  excellent  location  in  the 
centre  of  the  city  on  a  large  open  square  opposite  the 
old  citadel.  It  is  a  beautiful  building  with  the  highest 
spire  in  Charleston  (265  feet)  always  the  first  object 
seen  as  you  approach  the  city  either  by  land  or  sea.  In 
the  afternoon  a  brother-in-law  of  Pastor  Mueller  took 
us  out  for  a  pleasant  drive,  first  to  Magnolia  Cemetery 
with  its  beautiful  moss-bearded  live-oaks,  and  a  most 
excellent  monument  to  the  confederate  soldiers.  We 
then  drove  through  the  whole  length  of  the  city,  down 
to  the  Battery.  It  resembles  exactly  the  location  of 
New  York  between  the  Hudson  and  East  River,  Charles- 
ton stretching  to  its  Battery  point  between  the  Cooper 
and  Ashley  rivers.  The  Park  at  the  Battery  and  the 
magnificent  residences  fronting  on  that  semi-circle  of  a 
seaside  promenade  are  among  the  finest  I  have  seen  in 
any  city."     On  Sunday  morning  he  labored  under  the 


348  SEEING  AMERICA 

disadvantage  of  having  had  a  sleepless  night,  but  after 
a  few  hours'  rest  he  found  "the  service  in  the  evening 
truly  inspiring.  We  walked  in  procession  into  the  large 
church  which  was  densely  crowded  by  at  least  twelve 
hundred  people.  The  Vestrymen  of  all  the  Lutheran 
congregations  led  the  procession  and  the  six  officiating 
pastors  followed  in  their  robes.  .  .  .  The  American 
element  outside  of  the  Lutheran  Church  was  strongly 
represented.  Even  the  Jewish  Rabbi  attended  and,  of 
course,  a  Roman  Catholic  Professor  whose  wife  is  a 
Lutheran." 

He  anticipated  a  delightful  trip  to  Fort  Sumter,  which, 
however,  "turned  out  rather  venturesome  and  adventur- 
ous. The  naphtha  launch  was  a  homoeopathic  edition  of 
a  steamer,  and  with  the  stiff  northwest  breeze,  which 
stirred  up  the  whitecaps  in  the  bay,  it  soon  proved  to 
be  a  rather  ricketty  affair.  Everything  went  pretty 
well  except  for  an  occasional  shower  of  salt  water  when 
the  waves  dashed  over  our  bow.  But  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  the  walls  of  Fort  Sumter  we  suddenly  received 
a  tremendous  shock,  and  found  ourselves  stranded. 
When  the  young  men  who  had  charge  of  the  boat 
managed  to  get  her  afloat  again,  the  screw  and  the 
bar  on  which  it  revolved  were  so  bent  and  damaged 
that  the  machinery  refused  to  work.  We  dropped 
anchor,  and  the  two  men  worked  for  half  an  hour  up 
to  their  armpits  in  water,  to  repair  damages.  It  was 
by  no  means  an  enjoyable  situation.  Being  at  anchor 
we  caught  the  full  force  of  the  wind  and  shipped  one 
wave  after  another.  But  we  finally  succeeded  in  getting 
across  the  narrow  channel  to  Fort  Moultrie,  where  we 
took  the  big  steamer  to  return  to  the  city."  (A.  S.  to 
H.  R.  S.) 

In  January,  1906,  Dr.  Spaeth  was  in  Charleston 
again,  as  the  guest  of  the  German  Friendly  Society  at 
their   one   hundred   and    fortieth   anniversary   banquet. 


THE  GERMAN  FRIENDLY  SOCIETY  349 

"At  noon  we  attended  an  informal  'breakfast'  given  by 
the  Society  in  their  hall.  .  .  .  After  a  two  hours' 
rest  we  started  for  the  banqueting  hall.  I  walked  in 
on  the  arm  of  the  newly  elected  President,  my  friend 
Mr.  Julius  Jahntz.  The  orchestra  struck  up  'Lieb 
Vaterland  kannst  ruhig  sein!'  and  during  the  whole 
evening  one  sweet  'Volkslied'  followed  the  other,  either 
played  by  the  band  or  sung  by  an  excellent  quartette 
of  young  members  of  the  Society.  The  hall  was  most 
excellent  to  speak  in,  acoustically."  (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.) 
Dr.  Spaeth  responded  to  the  first  regular  toast  of  the 
evening,  "Our  Founders  and  their  Fatherland"  in 
English,  showing  a  surprising  acquaintance  with  local 
history  and  tradition.  The  hall  in  which  the  banquet 
was  held  was  beautifully  decorated;  the  stage  was  set 
with  a  lovely  scene  from  old  Nuernberg,  with  a  palm 
grove  (!)   in  front  which  concealed  the  musicians. 

On  the  following  day,  "after  a  fine  collation  at  the 
home  of  Mr.  Jahntz  the  whole  company,  some  twenty- 
four  gentlemen,  drove  to  the  harbor  where  we  boarded 
the  Government  tug-boat  which  was  to  carry  us  to 
Fort  Sumter.  The  officers  were  exceedingly  attentive 
and  kind  to  us.  It  is  very  seldom  that  anyone  is  al- 
lowed to  land  at  the  fort  and  inspect  the  battery.  The 
men  were  ordered  to  handle  the  giant  guns  for  us,  so 
that  we  could  understand  the  whole  machinery,  the 
raising,  turning,  aiming,  etc.  We  were  even  taken 
down  into  the  bomb-proof  casemates  where  the  smoke- 
less powder  is  stored.  After  our  return  we  went  to  the 
finest  Club  House  in  Charleston  for  a  glass  of  cham- 
pagne  My  life  here  is  just  one  continuous 

picnic  where  my  well  trained  German  student's  digestion 
is  expected  to  do  its  level  best  to  keep  afloat!  .  .  .  . 
Well,  it  will  soon  be  over,  and  we  will  enjoy  our  plain, 
rational  home  life  more  than  ever."  (A.  S.  to  H.  R.  S.) 
Before  leaving  Charleston  Dr.  Spaeth  greatly  enjoyed 


350  MUSIC  IN  AMERICA 

an  excursion  to  Summerville  "in  the  lovely  pine  woods" 
and  inspected  the  tea-plantation  there.  On  the  train 
to  Philadelphia  the  same  evening  his  attention  was  at- 
tracted by  a  distinguished  looking  gentleman  among  his 
fellow  travellers  who  seemed  also  attracted  by  him. 
They  eyed  one  another  askance  during  the  long  journey, 
but  neither  ventured  on  conversation.  Several  weeks 
later,  when  he  was  introduced  to  President  Wilson  of 
Princeton  they  exclaimed  simultaneously:  "Oh,  it  was 
you!" 

The  last  visit  to  Charleston  was  made  in  1907,  the 
occasion  being  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  for  the 
new  Sunday  school  building  of  St.  Matthew's  church 
(Pastor  Mueller),  and  the  celebration  of  the  Reforma- 
tion festival  by  the  united  Lutheran  congregations  of 
the  city.  Dr.  Spaeth  preached  in  St.  Matthew's  in  the 
morning,  in  German.  In  the  evening  the  real  celebra- 
tion was  held  there,  and  he  preached  in  English  on  the 
theme:  Martin  Luther;  Romanist,  Protestant,  Catholic, 
to  a  very  large  audience. 

MUSIC   FESTIVALS 

Naturally  Dr.  Spaeth's  chief  recreation  was  good 
music,  and  every  effort  to  cultivate  a  taste  for  classical 
German  music  in  America  was  sure  of  his  sympathy. 
In  May,  1882,  he  heard  two  concerts  of  the  great  Music 
Festival  in  New  York,  the  Beethoven  evening,  and  the 
Wagner  matinee  with  Materna.  This  he  found  more 
satisfactory  than  the  Beethoven  concert,  and  his  grow- 
ing appreciation  of  Wagner  dates  from  this  production. 

The  Kirchenbote  for  May  23,  1903,  contained  a  very 
appreciative  article  by  Dr.  Spaeth  on  the  Bach  Festival 
in  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  J.  F. 
Wolle.  The  festival  lasted  for  six  days,  and  the  most 
important  works  of  J.   Sebastian  Bach  were  produced 


THE  BACH   FESTIVAL  3S1 

with  wonderful  exactness  and  finish,  by  a  choir  of 
more  than  one  hundred  voices.  Dr.  Spaeth  found  it 
almost  too  much  at  once  for  the  audience  to  appropriate, 
not  to  speak  of  the  enormous  demand  on  the  strength 
and  endurance  of  the  director,  choir  and  orchestra.  But 
if  the  provision  were  somewhat  too  ample  and  too  com- 
prehensive for  so  short  a  time,  the  arrangement  of 
this  material  compelled  admiration.  The  leading  thought 
for  the  entire  week  was  the  coming  of  Christ,  and  His 
work  of  Redemption.  On  Monday  evening  the  festival 
began  with  the  "Choral  Cantata,"  "Wachet  auf,  ruft  uns 
die  Stimme,"  as  for  Advent;  ...  on  Thursday 
the  "St.  Matthew  Passion"  was  given,  ....  on 
Saturday  the  festival  reached  its  height  and  closed  with 
the  incomparable  "B  minor  Mass." 

"From  the  eighth  to  the  eleventh  of  May,  1905,  the 
Schiller  festival  was  celebrated  in  Philadelphia,  well 
planned  and  carried  out,  a  credit  to  our  city.  Only 
our  Germans  were  not  interested  as  they  should  have 
been.  The  Academy  showed  a  beggarly  array  of  empty 
benches.  Monday  I  went  to  'Tell,'  Tuesday  to  the 
chief  festival  with  two  addresses  ....  and  then 
the  splendid  performance  of  the  'Glocke'  with  Max 
Bruch's  grand  composition.     That  was  a  great  treat.     . 

.  .  .  On  May  tenth,  the  anniversary  in  St.  Jo- 
hannis,  I  was  of  course  in  the  church,  but  on  the  eleventh 
enjoyed  very  much  the  dramatic  presentation,  the  'Death 
of  Wallenstein.' "  (Diary.)  For  German  Day  in  this 
year  Dr.  Spaeth  chose  for  the  theme  of  his  festival 
address,  "Schiller's  Germany." 

THE  PHILADELPHIA  ORCHESTRA 

He  took  great  interest  in  the  development  of  the 
Philadelphia  Orchestra  under  the  leadership  of  Fritz 
Scheel.     The  first  notice  of  the  orchestra  in  the  Diary 


352  MUSIC  IN  AMERICA 

is  dated  February  10,  1905.  "This  afternoon  heard 
Richard  Strauss'  Symphonie  Domestica  which  pleased 
me  about  as  much  as  if  one  should  copy  a  genre  picture 
of  Ludwig  Richter,  magnified  and  exaggerated  in- 
definitely, on  a  canvas  the  size  of  a  wall,  and  in  the 
colors  of  Tintoretto.  In  comparison,  Wagner's  music, 
'Karfreitagszauber'  and  'Tannhaeuser  Overture,'  was 
actually  a  relief!"  November  3,  1905.  "Philadelphia 
Orchestra  concert.  Much  more  satisfactory  than  the 
last,  with  its  barbarous  Slavic  rumpus  (Spektakel)." 
November  10,  1905.  "The  concert  this  afternoon  was 
really  a  great  delight;  Beethoven's  Eroica,  which  might 
have  been  played  with  a  little  more  warmth  and  vim, 
Gadski  with  the  two  Arias  from  Tannhaeuser,  'Dich, 
teure  Halle'  and  Elisabeth's  prayer,  Schubert,  Brahms, 
the  latter  with  special  fire  and  understanding.  That  was 
once  more  through  and  through  German  music, — and 
how  refreshing  and  rejuvenating  it  all  sounds  to  me!" 
In  March,  1907,  Fritz  Scheel  died.  His  funeral  was 
held  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Communion,  and  at- 
tended by  an  immense  throng  of  his  admirers.  Dr. 
Spaeth  made  the  German  address.  His  acquaintance 
with  the  man  had  been  but  slight,  consisting  in  a  cor- 
respondence on  Church  Music  before  Mr.  Scheel  took 
charge  of  the  orchestra,  and  one  evening  spent  with 
him  after  the  concert  of  the  Leipzig  orchestra.  But  as 
Director  he  knew  him  well;  he  sympathized  with  his 
high  aims,  and  rejoiced  in  his  successes.  Dr.  Spaeth 
paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  director's  enthusiasm  for 
his  art,  to  his  skill,  his  tact,  his  judgment  in  combining 
the  various  types  of  nationality  which  found  expression 
in  music.  He  described  his  patient  efforts  to  educate 
our  public  to  higher  standards,  until  he  had  won  a  large 
circle  of  hearers,  who  could  understand  and  appreciate 
the  treasures  he  offered  to  them.  This  address  gave 
great  satisfaction  to  the  personal  friends  of  Fritz  Scheel, 


FRIEDRICH  MERGNER  353 

many    of    whom    expressed    their    gratification    to    Dr. 
Spaeth. 

MUSIC  AT  HOME 

Dr.  Spaeth  was  much  interested  in  the  compositions 
of  Friedrich  Mergner,  which  were  given  to  him  by  the 
composer's  daughter,  Sister  Julie,  the  head  of  the 
Lankenau  School  for  Girls.  He  took  special  delight  in 
the  melodies  for  Gerhardt's  hymns,  several  of  which 
were  often  sung  by  his  choir.  Through  Dr.  Spaeth  a 
number  of  the  Mergner  settings  were  later  included  in 
the  "Chor  Buch"  of  William  Merker,  largely  made  up 
of  material  used  in  St.  Johannis.  Friedrich  Mergner 
also  published  a  volume  of  secular  songs,  which  were 
often  demanded  by  the  children  when  Dr.  Spaeth  sat 
at  the  piano.  One  special  favorite,  familiarly  known  in 
the  family  as  "Es  ist  die  Katz' !"  was  the  moan  of  a 
German  "Mariana,"  he  cometh  not!  But  happily  in 
Mergner's  song  he  came  at  last! 

In  1892  Dr.  Spaeth's  eldest  son  was  in  London  at 
the  time  of  Tennyson's  funeral  in  Westminster  Abbey, 
and  sent  home  the  very  beautiful  setting  of  "Crossing 
the  Bar"  by  Dr.  J.  Fredk.  Bridges,  which  was  sung  on 
that  occasion.  Happening  to  have  guests  who  com- 
pleted a  quartette  Dr.  Spaeth  was  able  to  sing  this 
fascinating  music  over  and  over  again,  as  his  custom 
was  when  something  pleased  him.  He  translated  the 
words,  not  entirely  to  his  own  satisfaction,*  and  they 
were  used  frequently  by  his  choir.  This  translation  will 
be  found  in  the  Program  for  the  Memorial  Service  on 
All  Saints'  Day,  191  o. 

*"We  have  attempted  to  reproduce  this  poem  in  German.  It 
is  not  an  easy  task  with  anything  written  by  Tennyson,  where 
every  word,  every  syllable,  is  so  highly  polished,  and  contains  a 
wealth  of  thought  which  it  is  difficult  to  force  into  the  same  rigid 
bounds  in  our  own  language,  with  its  superabundance  of  words." 
(A.  S.  in  Zeitschrift,  November  26,   1892.) 


354  MUSIC  AT  HOME 

As  his  children  grew  up  Dr.  Spaeth  was  able,  for 
several  years,  to  have  the  hymns  at  family  worship  or 
other  home  gatherings  sung  a  cappella  in  full  harmony, 
in  which  he  took  the  tenor  part.  In  summer,  when 
excursions  were  made  across  the  Delaware  Bay  or  on 
the  Sounds  near  Cape  May,  the  lunch  basket  was  never 
considered  complete  without  a  few  copies  of  the  "Lieder- 
lust"  with  its  lovely  songs  of  the  goodness  of  God,  and 
the  wonders  of  creation. 

MISCELLANEOUS   COMPOSITIONS 

A  shabby,  well  worn  little  volume  in  Dr.  Spaeth's 
library  was  a  copy  of  the  poems  of  Eduard  Moerike, 
which  had  been  given  him  in  Tuebingen,  Christmas, 
i860,  by  five  of  his  classmates,  "Weigle,  Sabel,  Bard, 
Schneck  and  Waedle",  all  college  nicknames  probably. 
He  was  fond  of  Moerike,  and  set  several  of  his  songs 
to  music.  In  Capri  he  met  a  very  cultivated  woman  from 
the  Baltic  Provinces,  a  fine  musician,  an  artist,  well 
read,  and  an  enthusiastic  traveller,  with  whom  he  had 
much  in  common.  She  and  her  daughter  held  them- 
selves a  little  aloof  from  the  guests  at  the  Faraglioni. 
But  toward  the  end  of  the  winter  the  Diary  records: 
"This  evening  my  'Baltin'  really  thawed.  The  conver- 
sation turned  on  Eduard  Moerike,  my  dear  Swabian 
compatriot,  and  I  found  that  Frau  von  W.  esteems  him 
just  as  highly  as  I  do.  She  began  to  recite:  'Frueh, 
wann  die  Haehne  kraehen,'  and  before  I  knew  what  I 
was  about  I  sat  at  the  piano,  and  was  playing  my  music 
to  it.  Then  'Rohtraut,  schoen  Rohtraut'  naturally  fol- 
lowed, and  'Drei  Tage  Regen  fort  und  fort.'  All  of 
them  seemed  to  find  favor  with  my  rather  critical  hearer. 
Then  we  came  to  the  Rueckert  'Kindertodtenlieder' 
which  were  entirely  unknown  to  her.  I  played  all  of 
them  and  sang  one  or  two;  also  my  Arndt's  war  song, 


DER   STURMWIND   DES   KRIEGES  355 

'All  Deutschland  in  Frankreich  hinein'  which  was  en- 
cored by  Fraeulein  von  W." 

This  list  fairly  covers  Dr.  Spaeth's  miscellaneous 
compositions.  In  1902  the  Rhode  Island  State  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati  offered  a  gold  medal  for  a  substitute 
for  the  tune  "God  Save  the  King"  to  which  the 
"National  Anthem"  is  always  sung.  Dr.  Spaeth  wrote 
a  tune  but  did  not  consider  it  worth  sending  in  for  the 
competition.  The  Rueckert  Lieder  are  printed  in  the 
"Liederlust." 

The  Arndt  song  won  great  favor  with  Frau  Oberin 
Wanda  von  Oertzen,  who  even  spoke  of  having  it  ar- 
ranged for  the  royal  military  band  in  Berlin, — some  of 
these  days!  These  verses  were  written  in  1840,  and 
quoted  in  Pastor  Spaeth's  lecture  on  Ernst  Moritz  Arndt, 
1 87 1.  The  melody  was  composed  either  when  the  lecture 
was  delivered,  or  very  soon  afterwards.  It  is  the  first 
of  his  compositions  that  has  been  preserved,  and  in  its 
swing  and  sharp  accentuation  well  expresses  the  defiant 
self-confidence  of  the  words ; — the  sentiment 

"Conquer  we  must 
For  our  cause  it  is  just," 

which  is  the  underlying  motive  of  so  many  German  war 
songs. 

This  and  "Schoen  Rohtraut"  were  the  songs  that  Dr. 
Spaeth  liked  best  of  all  his  lighter  compositions.  But 
as  the  lines  of  "Schoen  Rohtraut"  are  very  irregular, 
requiring  adaptation  of  the  music  to  each  verse,  and  as 
the  compass  of  the  melody  is  too  great  for  ordinary 
voices,  it  is  not  given  here. 


356 


MUSIC  AT  HOME 


Arndt's    Lied 


Und  brauset  der  Sturmwind  des  Krieges  heran, 

Und  wollen  die  Waelschen  ihn  haben, 
So  sammle  mein  Deutschland  dich  stark  wie  ein  Mann 

Und  bringe  die  blutigen  Gaben ; 
Und  bringe  das  Schrecken  und  bringe  das  Grauen 
Von  all  deinen  Bergen,  aus  all  deinen  Gauen 
Und  klinge  die  Loosung :   Zum  Rhein  !    Ueber'n  Rhein ! 
|| :  All  Deutschland  in  Frankreich  hinein!  :1| 

Sie  wollen's,  so  reisse  denn  deutsche  Geduld! 

Reiss  durch  von  dem  Belt  bis  zum  Rheine ! 
Wir  fordern  die  lange  gestundete  Schuld — 

Auf  Waelsche  und  ruehret  die  Beine! 
Wir  wollen  im  Spiele  der  Schwerter  und  Lanzen 
Den  wilden,  den  blutigen  Tanz  mit  euch  tanzen. 
Wie  klinget  die  Loosung :   Zum  Rhein  !    Ueber'n  Rhein  ! 
II:  All  Deutschland  in  Frankreich  hinein!  :|| 


MOTHERLESS  CHILDREN  357 

Mein  einiges  Deutschland,  mein  freies,  heran! 

Wir   wollen   ein   Liedlein   euch    singen 
Von  dem,  was  die  schleichende  List  euch  gewann, 

Von  Strassburg  und  Metz  und  Lothringen! 
Zurueck  sollt  ihr  zahlen !     Heraus  sollt  ihr  geben ! 
So  stehe  der  Kampf  uns  auf  Tod  und  auf  Leben ! 
So  klinge  die  Loosung:    Zum  Rhein!   Ueber'n  Rhein! 
|| :  All  Deutschland  in  Frankreich  hinein !  :|| 

DR.    SPAETH   AS   HOUSE-FATHER 

After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Spaeth  in  1878  the  Diary 
frequently  refers  to  the  unaccustomed  responsibility  laid 
upon  the  young  father.  "O,  how  we  miss  the  mother! 
I  shall  have  much  to  learn, — very  much!"  "I  am  so 
sorry  for  the  children  on  Sunday.  Maria  always  de- 
voted herself  so  specially  to  them  then.  I  must  give  up 
what  I  can,  so  as  to  be  more  to  my  family."  He  made 
the  older  boys  his  companions  as  far  as  possible,  taking 
them  with  him  to  concerts  and  picture  galleries.  For 
the  little  ones  he  was  fortunate  in  having  faithful  care- 
takers in  the  house,  all  members  of  his  congregation. 
On  her  deathbed  Mrs.  Spaeth  had  committed  the  chil- 
dren to  each  of  them  personally,  and  they  all  remained 
at  their  post  for  the  two  years  that  Dr.  Spaeth  was 
alone.  The  Diary  has  many  allusions  to  his  "com- 
forter;" little  Martin,  and  to  Ernst,  a  most  original  and 
captivating  child.  The  Jugendfreund  for  April,  1879, 
contained  a  story  of  little  (Ernst)  Philip  and  his  Angel, 
so  tender,  so  playful,  that  it  illustrates  this  period  of 
his  life  better  than  any  description  could. 

"Little  Philip  had  gone  to  visit  his  uncle.  It  was 
just  at  Christmas  time  and  the  tree  was  still  standing, 
with  all  the  pretty  things  on  it.  'Choose  something  for 
yourself  from  my  tree'  said  the  kind  uncle;  'Whatever 
you  like  you  may  take  with  you.'  The  sturdy  little 
Philip  did  not  wait  for  a  second  bidding;  but,  instead 
of  taking  whatever  came  first,  he  looked  up  and  down, 


358  FAMILY  AND   SOCIAL  LIFE 

round  and  round,  over  the  whole  tree,  for  our  Philip 
is  a  very  wary  little  gentleman.  He  sought  long  and 
shook  his  head,  and  did  not  seem  to  find  what  he 
wanted.  At  last  he  said,  'Have  you  no  Angel  on  your 
tree?'  and  then  the  uncle  began  to  help  in  the  search 
and,  sure  enough,  at  the  very  top,  hidden  among  the 
twigs  there  hung  a  little  angel  of  paper  and  tinsel,  with 
glistening,  golden  wings, — just  what  Philip  wanted.     . 

.  .  .  Now  Easter  is  nearly  here,  but  little  Philip 
still  has  his  Christmas  angel.  The  other  playthings  are 
mostly  already  lost,  or  broken,  or  put  away,  but  the 
fragile  little  angel  with  its  crown  of  stars  is  still  well 
and  cheerful.  No  wonder,  when  one  sees  how  Philip 
cares  for  it.  .  .  .  When  the  weather  grew  colder, 
he  thought  the  poor  angel  must  be  chilly  in  its  gilt- 
paper  skirt,  so  he  hunted  up  a  few  bits  of  cloth,  and 
sewed  them  into  a  fine  petticoat  or  overcoat  as  you  may 
choose  to  call  it.  And  when  the  other  children  laughed 
at  him  he  said  with  perfect  composure:  'Do  you  think 
Angels  have  no  clothes?' 

"At  every  meal  the  angel  takes  its  place  by  Philip's 
plate,  and  because  the  little  man  knows  that  everyone 
must  wear  a  'bib'  at  the  table,  of  course  the  angel  must 
have  one  too,  and  Philip  made  the  bib  himself,  though 
he  is  far  from  being  an  expert  tailor.  And  the  angel 
is  very  patient  and  allows  the  bib  to  be  put  on  every 
day  without  struggling  and  grumbling  like  Philip's  big 
brothers,  who  are  not  angels  at  all.  But  when  Philip  is 
busy  with  spoon  and  fork  there  is  not  much  for  the 
angel  ....  and  this  is  fortunate.  The  angel 
could  not  stand  Philip's  diet,  nor  could  Philip  live  on 
air  as  the  angel  does.  In  this  way  they  both  thrive, 
Philip  on  noodles,  the  angel  on  air!  A  few  times  to 
be  sure,  the  poor  angel  has  been  obliged  to  go  to  the 
hospital,  not  because  he  had  spoiled  his  stomach,  but 
because   someone  had   taken   him  too   roughly   by   the 


IN  THE  PARSONAGE  359 

wings.  And  then  Papa  has  come  to  the  rescue  with 
his  good  salve  (out  of  the  mucilage  bottle)  and  has 
packed  the  angel  into  bed  between  two  heavy  books, 
and — probatum  est! — that  always  cured  him  quickly. 

"This  is  the  story  of  little  Philip  and  his  angel.  It 
is  good  that  Philip  loves  it  and  cares  for  it  so  faithfully. 
But  still  better  is  it  that  a  real,  heavenly  Angel  hovers 
unseen  over  Philip  and  his  brothers  and  sister,  and  that 
God  has  given  that  Angel  charge  over  them,  to  keep 
them  in  all  their  ways." 

The  daily  life  in  the  parsonage  was  very  German, 
almost  patriarchal  in  its  simplicity  and  order.  The 
father  was  the  Priest  of  his  family,  and  its  supreme 
head.  As  far  as  possible  a  military  precision  governed 
the  apportionment  of  the  day,  especially  for  little  chil- 
dren. The  "servants"  were  called  by  that  old-fashioned 
and  honorable  name,  but  shared  in  all  the  religious  life 
and  in  all  festivals  of  the  family.  To  specially  intimate 
friends  or  to  guests  staying  in  the  house  they  were 
usually  introduced  in  an  informal  way.  But  they  were 
properly  embarrassed  if  a  well-meaning  guest  attempted 
to  draw  them  into  conversation  at  the  table  where  they 
were  serving.  They  always  had  their  seat  in  the  pastor's 
pew  in  church,  and  great  was  Dr.  Spaeth's  astonish- 
ment and  pleasure,  on  the  first  Sunday  that  the  full 
Gloria  in  Excelsis  was  used  in  St.  Johannis,  to  hear  it 
sung  absolutely  correctly  and  with  much  spirit  in  his 
own  pew.  The  form  was  taken  from  Bavarian  sources, 
and  his  faithful  old  Margaret  who  ruled  the  parsonage 
kitchen  happened  to  be  a  "Baierin,"  and  had  learned  it 
in  her  youth.  Margaret  was  a  character,  of  whom 
many  anecdotes  are  still  told  in  the  family.  She  herself 
was  a  martinet  with  the  children,  but  their  staunch  de- 
fender when  anyone  else  applied  discipline.  On  one 
occasion  little  Ernst  had  just  visited  the  "Zoo,"  and 
was  eagerly  giving  his  experiences  at  the  'logical  garden. 


360  FAMILY  AND   SOCIAL  LIFE 

Margaret  lost  patience  at  last:  "Dummer  Kerl!  Why 
do  you  always  say  'logical  garden?  Can't  you  ever 
learn  to  say  'Theological?'  " 

In  the  earlier  years  Dr.  Spaeth  gave  himself  up  to 
the  children  during  the  vacation  in  Cape  May  Point, 
only  returning  to  the  city  over  Sunday  or  for  any 
pastoral  duty  in  the  congregation,  where  he  had  no 
assistant  at  that  time.  In  the  summer  of  1880  he  wrote 
a  letter  to  the  Jugendfreund,  ostensibly  as  one  of  the 
boys.  "Dear  Jugendfreund,  If  it  will  not  tire  you  I 
will  send  you  a  little  note  from  the  salty,  fresh  sea  air 
of  Cape  May  Point.  We  have  had  a  great  company  of 
your  readers,  young  and  old,  mostly  from  St.  Johannis, 
Philadelphia,  who  with  their  pastor  are  spending  a  few 
days  for  recreation  at  the  shore.  The  days  about  the 
Fourth  of  July  were  especially  lively.  On  Sunday, 
which  was  really  the  Fourth,  we  held  a  German  service 
in  the  parlor  of  Stockton  Cottage.  Our  beautiful  morn- 
ing service  was  used  from  beginning  to  end,  just  as  on 
Sunday  morning  in  the  church  at  home.  Instead  of  the 
organ  we  had  a  good  piano,  and  instead  of  the  organist 
our  dear  Frank,  who  accompanied  us  in  the  responses 
and  chorales.  Our  pastor  preached  on  Independence 
Day  from  the  text  'As  free,  and  not  using  your  liberty 
for  a  cloak  of  maliciousness,  but  as  the  servants  of  God.' 
Willie  made  a  very  dignified  elder,  and  took  up  the 
collection  which  was  for  Foreign  Missions.  In  the 
afternoon  we  had  Sunday  school.  There  was  only  one 
class  from  the  old  fathers  and  mothers  down  to  little 
Ernst,  and  only  one  teacher,  our  pastor,  who  catechised 
young  and  old,  right  and  left. 

"Next  day,  the  fifth,  we  young  ones  wanted  our  fun. 
It  was  decided  to  build  a  large  fort,  not  of  granite  nor 
founded  on  a  rock,  but  out  of  the  sand  by  the  sea.  You 
must  not  think  that  our  pastor  sat  at  home  and  left  us 
young  fellows  alone.     Oh  no!  he  took  the  spade  and 


MARTIN'S   FORT  361 

helped  vigorously.  He  even  laid  out  the  whole  fort, 
and  told  us  stories  while  he  was  doing  it,  how,  in  Scot- 
land, he  and  his  pupils  had  once  set  up  batteries  on  the 
shore,  and  had  shot  at  them  with  real  cannon.  That 
must  have  given  a  different  report  from  our  little 
mosquitoes  of  fire-crackers!  Then  you  ought  to  have 
seen   the    rush.      Everybody    helped    with    shovels    and 

little  spades  so  that  the  sand  wall  grew  fast 

By  the  evening  of  the  sixth  the  fort  was  finished,  eight 
feet  high,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  around,  and  had 
safely  withstood  a  storm  and  the  high  tide.  At  sunset 
we  were  all  assembled  at  'Martin's  Fort.'  The  Stars 
and  Stripes  waved  gaily  from  all  its  walls.  The  tide 
came  roaring  in  and  filled  the  trenches,  so  that  it  stood 
like  an  island  in  the  surf.  A  board  was  thrown  across 
for  a  bridge,  and  then  old  and  young  stood  inside  and 
sang  with  one  voice  that  sent  a  mighty  sound  over  the 
water:  'Ein  feste  Burg'  and  'Wie  mit  grimmgen  Unver- 
stand  Wellen  sich  erheben.'  And  although  we  built  with 
sand  and  on  sand,  to  this  day  our  Martin's  Fort  is  not 
washed  away.  True,  the  trenches  are  choked  with  sand, 
and  the  walls  are  so  low  that  the  boys  jump  over  them, 
but  the  fort  still  stands.  If  you  come  down  soon  we 
will  take  you  there. 

"Cordially  yours, 

"Stockton." 

roseneath  cottage 

Sea  Grove  was  founded  about  1876  by  the  Presby- 
terians, who  intended  to  build  up  there  a  denominational 
resort  somewhat  like  that  of  the  Methodists  in  Ocean 
Grove.  A  pavilion  was  built  for  public  worship,  from 
which  the  principal  streets  radiated  like  the  spokes  of 
a  wheel.  Lots  were  offered  to  clergymen  of  other  de- 
nominations, on  which  cottages  were  erected,   simple, 


362  FAMILY  AND   SOCIAL  LIFE 

and  rather  monotonous  in  plan,  but  well  built.*  The 
specifically  Calvinistic  character  of  the  settlement  was 
short-lived.  The  pavilion  was  removed  to  Cape  May, 
where  it  was  converted  into  a  saloon.  The  name  Sea 
Grove,  justified  by  a  very  pretty  belt  of  oak  and  pine 
woods  back  of  the  village,  was  too  much  like  Ocean 
Grove,  causing  confusion  in  the  mails,  and  in  1880 
was  changed  to  Cape  May  Point. 

Dr.  Spaeth  had  already  purchased  a  lot  in  Ocean 
Grove,  but  Mrs.  Spaeth,  for  whom  the  summer  home 
was  most  necessary,  found  Sea  Grove  so  much  more 
attractive,  that  he  was  glad  to  avail  himself  of  the  op- 
portunity there  offered,  and  the  house  was  completed 
in  July,  1876.  Thenceforward  there  were  three  high 
festivals  in  the  children's  calendar,  Christmas,  the  tenth 
of  May,  and  the  day  when  they  shook  the  city  dust 
from  their  feet,  and  went  down  to  the  sea. 

One  pretty  touch  in  the  Life  of  Dr.  Mann  is  the 
statement  that  he  often  "painted  the  paper  dolls." 
Among  Dr.  Spaeth's  quiverful  of  hardy  boys  there 
was  no  demand  for  paper  dolls,  but  he  was  a  master  in 
the  art  of  kite-building.  With  the  greatest  care  the 
frame  was  made  and  covered,  then,  when  the  immense 
kite  was  finished,  the  tail  was  a  matter  of  a  few  minutes. 
It  bore  no  resemblance  to  the  elegant  affair  of  a  bob 
and  a  space  alternately  as  pictured  in  the  old-fashioned 
Readers.  A  torn-up  sheet  or  potato  sack,  or  a  scrap  of 
rope, — anything  to  add  the  requisite  weight,  and  the 
kite  was  ready.  If  the  wind  was  right  the  restive 
monster  was  carried  to  the  top  of  the  lighthouse  hill, 
and  attached  to  the  children's  express  wagon.  Then, 
with  one  of  the  little  ones  steering,  and  all  the  rest 

*Dr.  Morris  wrote  more  as  humorist  than  as  historian  when 
he  said,  in  1886:  "Several  of  our  men  accepted  the  offer  and  put 
up  wretched  shanties, — half  canvas,  half  shingle, — and  occupied 
them,  trying  to  make  believe  they  were  comfortable." 


SUMMERS  IN  CAPE  MAY  POINT  363 

shouting  in  the  rear,  the  kite  was  released,  and  the  wagon 
rolled  smoothly  down  to  the  level  road,  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile.  Once  a  clerical  neighbor  of  slender  build 
had  the  pleasure  of  taking  this  exciting  trip,  to  the  up- 
roarious delight  of  the  boys.  And  several  times  such  a 
kite  drew  the  flat-bottomed  boat  belonging  to  the  chil- 
dren, the  entire  length  of  Lily  Lake,  also  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile. 

For  more  than  twenty  years  Cape  May  Point 
possessed  the  same  broad,  smooth  beach  which  is  one 
of  the  features  of  Cape  May.  At  the  height  of  the 
rage  for  bicycle  riding  Dr.  Spaeth  was  able  to  assemble 
a  company  of  seven  or  eight  members  of  his  household, 
all  mounted,  with  whom  he  executed  cavalry  manceuvers 
on  the  beach.  Under  his  energetic  and  enthusiastic 
direction  the  participants  became  quite  skillful,  and  the 
drill  attracted  much  attention. 

Now  and  then,  especially  when  we  had  guests  in  the 
crabbing  season,  half  a  day  was  spent  on  the  Sounds. 
The  Captain  with  one  man,  managed  the  boat,  and 
manipulated  the  crab-net.  The  passengers  enjoyed  the 
quiet  sailing  from  one  smooth  inlet  to  another,  filled 
their  crab-bag,  ate  their  luncheon,  sang  their  German 
songs,  and  came  home  in  good  time  for  a  surf-bath, 
tired,  sunburned,  and  very  happy.  Once  Dr.  Spaeth 
achieved  greatness,  and  won  a  name  in  local  history  by 
catching  a  flounder  with  his  twine  and  bait,  instead  of 
a  crab.  Whenever  he  appeared  after  that,  the  old 
sailors  would  nudge  one  another  and  whisper  huskily, 
"That's  him!" 

Dr.  Spaeth's  favorite  work  in  Cape  May  Point  was 
the  tending  of  his  garden.  He  had  brought  in  all  the 
top-soil  and  planted  all  the  cedars,  and  had  sodded  and 
sown  the  grass  plat  over  and  over  again.  After  the 
first  years  he  gave  little  attention  to  flowers,  beyond 
trimming  and  training  the  roses  and  trumpet-creepers 


364  FAMILY  AND   SOCIAL  LIFE 

clambering  over  the  porch,  whose  luxuriant  growth 
distinguished  his  cottage  above  all  the  rest.  His  chief 
pride  was  the  bit  of  green  in  front  and  the  gravel  walk 
around  it.  To  keep  the  grass  growing  in  the  one,  and 
to  keep  it  from  growing  in  the  other,  gave  him  employ- 
ment with  sprinkler  and  edging  knife  and  hoe,  five 
days  in  the  week.  And  he  accepted  it  as  the  sweet 
reward  for  honest  toil,  when  some  one  in  passing  would 
say,  "How  homelike!" 

BRIERBOURNE 

The  twenty  years  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  residence  in  the 
parsonage  on  Girard  Avenue  included  the  greatest  trials, 
the  deepest  sorrows,  the  most  painful  bereavements  of 
his  life,  and  yet  they  cannot  be  called  unhappy  years. 
His  work,  which  seemed  an  overwhelming  burden  to 
others,  was  congenial  work.  He  loved  his  pulpit,  his 
class  room,  his  church  music,  his  Sunday  school.  He 
was  entirely  happy  in  the  festivals  on  the  tenth  of  May, 
and  every  year  watched  the  little  ones  as  they  brought 
their  flowers  to  the  altar,  with  the  same  tender  light  on 
his  face.  No  birthday,  no  anniversary  was  ever  for- 
gotten in  the  parsonage,  and  the  house  father  was  the 
centre  of  the  family  life. — Then  came  the  few  tragic 
years  when  his  overtaxed  strength  had  given  way.  He 
was  "an  old  man  before  his  time"  the  Doctors  said. 
But  just  when  all  seemed  hopelessly  lost,  the  way  opened 
for  a  new  home,  a  new  lease  of  life,  and  nearly  twenty 
years  more  of  new  activity  in  Mt.  Airy. 

The  residence  built  for  Dr.  Spaeth  on  the  Seminary 
grounds  was  planned  for  his  comfort  and  convenience 
in  every  detail.  His  study  was  the  heart  of  the  house. 
He  liked  a  warm  room,  so  in  one  wall  were  two  sunny 
windows  and  the  main  chimney;  the  other  three  carried 
the  heat  flues  to  the  upper  floor.    A  bright  little  smoking- 


THE  HOME  IN  MT.  AIRY  365 

den  opened  out  toward  the  Seminary,  and  in  winter  this 
was  (theoretically  at  least)  gay  with  blooming  plants. 
A  few  steps  brought  him  to  the  upper  porch  overlooking 
the  garden,  where  he  could  exercise  in  bad  weather,  or 
enjoy  the  west  wind  after  a  sultry  day.  When  the  full 
moon  shone  over  the  garden  which,  in  a  few  years,  was 
filled  with  rare  and  beautiful  trees,  this  porch  became 
an  ideal  place  for  gathering  the  family  about  him.  In 
the  first  year  Dr.  Spaeth  took  a  child-like  pleasure  in 
showing  this  new  toy  to  his  friends.  Pastor  Goedel 
paid  probably  the  most  appreciative  and  best  appreciated 
tribute  when  he  said  emphatically:  "This  house  has 
character !" 

At  first  the  garden  could  not  compete  with  the  be- 
loved grass  plat  in  Cape  May  Point.  He  who  had 
done  so  much  with  white  sand  could  not  believe  in  the 
possibilities  of  yellow  clay.  But  gradually,  when  the 
trees  had  grown  over  his  head,  and  over  the  house  it- 
self at  last,  when  the  borders  were  rich  in  spring  with 
the  Scylla  and  Hepatica,  the  primroses  and  violets  which 
he  had  known  in  his  childhood  in  Germany,  when  thou- 
sands of  Narcissus  bloomed  all  over  the  place,  to  be 
followed  by  peonies  and  roses  and  lilies,  he  became  in- 
terested in  this  growing  paradise,  and  finally  very  proud 
and  fond  of  it.  He  rarely  did  any  work  in  the  Brier- 
bourne  *  garden.  His  delight  was  in  finding  the  first 
violet  (about  which  everyone  else  was  discreetly  silent 
until  he  discovered  it)  and  in  cutting  the  asparagus, 
cultivated  for  his  special  benefit.  He  had  never  studied 
botany,  but  in  later  years  took  great  pleasure  in  calling 
things  by  their  botanical  names,  of  which  he  had  picked 
up  a  number. 

*  Named  for  the  foamy  mass  of  Wichuraiana  roses  which  fell 
over  the  wall  at  the  front,  turning  it  to  a  snowdrift  in  late  June. 


366  FAMILY  AND   SOCIAL  LIFE 


HOME   FESTIVALS 


The  Advent  light  was  an  institution  in  the  family 
almost  from  the  beginning.  It  was  adopted  from  the 
Rauhe  Haus,  where  at  first  it  had  taken  the  form  of 
a  tree,  with  graduated  rings  fastened  to  it,  on  which 
the  lights  were  placed.  Probably  owing  to  danger  of 
fire,  or  perhaps  to  distinguish  it  from  the  Christmas  tree, 
this  was  later  replaced  by  a  wooden  ring  suspended  by 
chains,  and  with  room  for  twenty-eight  candles.  On 
the  first  Sunday  in  Advent  a  candle  was  lit,  and  the 
children  recited  the  promise  of  the  Seed  of  the  Woman 
which  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head.  Each  night  one 
more  taper  was  kindled  and  another  Messianic  prophecy 
was  repeated.  Great  was  the  jubilation  when  the  tiny 
lights  became  so  numerous  that  the  father  could  read 
by  them,  for  that  meant  that  Christmas  was  very  near. 
One  evening  in  Advent,  1900,  the  home  circle  was 
augmented  by  the  Leipzig  Quartette,  but  this  was  family 
worship.  The  father  gave  out  the  simplest  of  our  Ad- 
vent hymns,  "Es  kommt  ein  Schiff  geladen,"  the  mother 
took  her  place  at  the  harmonium,  and  children  and 
guests  sang  and  said  their  verses  together. 

Dr.  Spaeth  always  selected  the  Christmas  tree  him- 
self, with  a  very  critical  eye  to  its  color,  and  shape  and 
height,  and  the  spread  of  the  branches.  In  the  early 
years  in  Philadelphia  he  had  great  difficulty  in  finding 
a  tree,  but  that  he  was  always  successful  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  first  entry  on  this  subject  in  the  Diary. 
December  23,  1867.  "Out  with  Maria  to  buy  the  Christ- 
mas tree.  Nearly  ready  by  evening,  and  more  beautiful 
than  ever."  The  observance  of  the  festival  was  very 
simple,  and  for  three  generations  in  America  the 
traditions  of  the  Swabian  home  have  been  perpetuated. 
In  1 86 1,  in  a  poem  called.  "Christmas  among  Strangers," 
after  sitting  "lonely  and  sad  in  the  gloomiest  corner  of 


THE  CHRISTMAS  TREE  367 

the  room  where  the  night  shadows  were  falling,"  the 
homesick  young  Vicar  emptied  his  heart  in  verses 
describing  how  the  mother  was  even  then  bringing  out 
the  modest  gifts  from  her  secret  stores  and  spreading 
them  on  the  tables  covered  with  fair  linen.  Along  the 
dark  green  branches  of  the  tree  the  flickering  points 
of  flame  sprang  in  joyful  haste,  until,  when  the  high- 
est taper  was  lit,  the  radiance  betrayed  the  secret  even 
in  the  dark  hall  where  the  impatient  little  ones  waited 
for  the  signal  to  come  in.  And  then  the  merry  tumult 
rose,  the  seeking  and  finding,  the  fulfilment  of  many 
wishes,  the  surprises  of  which  one  had  not  dreamed, 
and  mother  must  see  everything,  and  admire  every- 
thing, and  submit  to  no  end  of  hugging  and  kissing, 
and  grateful  pressure  of  the  dear  hand  that  had  per- 
formed all  these  miracles. 

Even  on  that  sad  Christmas  of  1878,  when  the  wife 
and  mother  had  been  carried  out  of  the  parsonage  only 
two  days  before,  the  tree  was  not  forgotten.  It  was 
her  wish  that  the  children  should  have  it,  "but  only 
with  the  lights  on  it."  And  the  brave  young  father 
prepared  for  the  festival,  though  with  a  heavy  heart 
and  dim  eyes,  and  wrote  in  his  Diary:  "The  children 
are  often  too  noisy  for  me,  and  too  merry, — just  as 
children  always  are,  who  can  scarcely  wait  for  Christ- 
mas." Gradually  to  the  familiar  old  Christmas  hymns 
were  added  all  the  treasures  from  the  Sonntagschulbuch, 
and  even  the  youngest  child  sat  contentedly  on  father's 
or  mother's  knee,  gazing  round-eyed  on  the  tree,  while 
we  sang  one  after  another,  closing  with  "Kripplein,  o 
Weihnachtskripplein,"  the  most  beautiful  of  them  all, 

but  the  despair  of  the  translator And  in 

1904  the  Diary  says:  "Hans  and  Marie  were  at  our 
Bescheerung  with  the  darling  baby,  who  was  christened 
Dorothea  on  the  eighth  of  November,  in  the  Seminary 
chapel.     For  the  first  time  the  Christmas  candles  were 


368  FAMILY  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE 

reflected  from  the  bright  eyes  of  a  grandchild !     Thank 
God  for  this  precious  gift!" 

Sylvester  evening,  December  31st,  was  the  formal 
close  of  the  Christmas  festival,  and  the  tree  was  always 
replenished  with  fresh  candles.  In  1905  Sylvester  fell 
on  Sunday.  Dr.  Spaeth  records:  "I  preached  this 
morning  on  the  'Evening  of  Life  in  the  radiance  of 
Christmas'  which  seemed  to  do  my  old  people  good.  . 
In  the  evening  we  lit  the  tree  and  sang  our  loveliest 
Christmas  hymns.  I  read  the  103d  Psalm.  Then  we 
had  our  punch  and  sat  together  very  happily  until  after 
ten.     Adieu,  1905!" 

ATHLETICS,   RECREATION 

Dr.  Spaeth  often  referred  to  the  walking  and  riding 
parties  of  his  student  days,  and  to  his  rowing  and  oc- 
casional shooting  in  Scotland.  In  Blaubeuren  he  had 
learned  to  bowl,  and  even  in  middle  age  liked  to 
show  his  prowess  in  the  bowling  alley  at  Cape  May 
Point.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  surf  bather,  but  never 
became  an  expert  swimmer.  And  the  games  into  which 
his  sons  entered  with  so  much  zeal  and  success,  baseball 
and  football,  tennis,  golf  and  what  not — were  sealed 
books  to  him.  Once  he  was  persuaded  to  see  a  game 
of  college  football,  but  did  not  care  for  it. 

In  games  of  skill,  especially  in  chess,  he  was  quite 
proficient,  and  usually  won  the  game  from  ordinary 
players.  Once  he  tried  his  fate  with  the  automaton 
chess  player,  Ajeeb,  in  New  York,  and  was  quite  aston- 
ished when  he  was  dismissed  with  the  courteous  bow 
by  which  Ajeeb  announced  that  his  opponent  was  beaten. 
Dr.  Spaeth  would  have  liked  to  play  that  game  out,  but 
by  a  curious  fatality,  when,  at  rare  intervals,  Ajeeb 
seemed  to  be  in  danger  of  losing  a  game,  there  was  a 
click  and  a  whirr  in  the  mechanism  and,  most  un- 
fortunately, everything  came  to  a  stop. 


SCHLEIERMACHER  AND  CARDS  369 

While  Dr.  Spaeth  was  in  Capri,  Mrs.  Spaeth  had 
written  to  him  of  her  embarrassment  at  a  children's 
party  in  Esslingen  where  the  whole  company,  includ- 
ing her  trio,  were  entertained  by  cards.  Dr.  Spaeth 
replied:  "I  can  sympathize  with  your  discomfort.  . 
.  .  .  Schleiermacher,  in  his  'Christian  Ethics' 
goes  so  far  as  to  make  it  the  duty  of  a  Christian  in  such 
a  case,  to  join  in  the  game  for  the  sake  of  the  comfort 
and  pleasure  of  the  players.  It  did  not  occur  to  the 
profound  theologian  that  the  'Christian'  might  be  so 
utterly  ignorant  of  cards  that  his  joining  in  the  game 
would  rather  disturb  the  'comfort  and  pleasure'  of  the 
party.  Now,  such  scenes  in  the  quiet  family  circle  do 
not,  as  you  properly  say,  call  for  a  'demonstration.' 
And  yet,  you  cannot  join  in  the  game  of  cards,  nor 
ought  you  to  learn  it.  I  think  it  is  better  not  to  know 
and  not  to  play  cards,  however  innocent  some  players 
and  some  games  may  be.  In  this  view  Dr.  Krauth  and 
Dr.  Duncan  exactly  agreed,  and  your  husband,  though 
he  was  a  clever  card  player  in  his  student  years,  is  fully 
of  the  same  mind." 

THE  GUEST  BOOK 

Dr.  Spaeth  found  no  great  charm  in  ordinary  social 
"functions,"  and  was  even  apt  to  be  shy  and  uncom- 
fortable where  he  was  not  sure  of  his  surroundings. 
He  enjoyed  meeting  distinguished  men,  or  gathering 
with  friends  for  the  celebration  of  some  important 
anniversary.  Best  of  all  he  liked  to  have  a  few  con- 
genial guests  in  his  own  home.  He  was  a  charming 
narrator,  with  an  endless  fund  of  material  from  his 
own  travel  and  experience,  or  from  history,  which  he 
had  absolutely  at  his  command.  He  was  also  a  good 
listener,  drawing  out  the  best  that  his  visitor  could 
impart.     The  Guest  Book,  unfortunately  not  introduced 


370  FAMILY  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE 

until  1896,  became  in  a  few  years  a  polyglot  collection 
of  kind  wishes  and  quotations.  From  Dr.  Nottrott's 
contribution  of  Mark  16:  15  in  the  language  of  the 
Kols,  and  a  verse  in  Syriac  from  Dr.  Schneller,  through 
Pastor  Fuente's  Spanish  version  of  "Ein  feste  Burg," 
and  various  bits  of  Polish,  Russian,  Peruvian,  etc., 
unintelligible  but  none  the  less  gratifying,  one  came  to 
the  border-land  of  Bishop  von  Scheele's  Swedish  greet- 
ing, and  thence  to  familiar  ground,  the  German  of  the 
Leipzig  singers  and  many  friends,  and  the  English  of 
Dr.  Caspar  Rene  Gregory,  and  Dr.  William  Knight  the 
compiler  of  the  "Colloquia  Peripatetica,  by  the  late 
John  Duncan,  LL.  D." 

Through  Dr.  Spaeth's  connection  with  Dr.  Duncan 
he  was  on  friendly  terms  with  many  prominent  Presby- 
terians of  Philadelphia,  and  always  attended  any  great 
Presbyterian  Convention  held  here.  His  Address  at 
the  Bi-centennial  of  Presbyterianism,  1906,  was  printed 
in  the  Church  Review  for  October  of  that  year.  During 
the  lifetime  of  his  first  wife  they  received  many  kind 
attentions  from  Mr.  George  H.  Stuart,  and  visited  him 
at  his  country  place  near  the  Delaware.  With  Dr. 
Wylie  and  his  family,  who  spent  most  of  their  summers 
in  Cape  May  Point,  a  pleasant  friendliness  was  always 
maintained.  Dr.  Spaeth  was  also  one  of  the  Corporators 
of  the  Presbyterian  Ministers'  Fund,  attending  their 
meetings  regularly. 

One  great  pleasure  in  his  later  years  was  the  meeting, 
at  the  Penn  Club,  with  Dr.  John  Watson,  Ian  Maclaren, 
whose  humorous  or  pathetic  pictures  of  Scottish  life 
are  well  known.  One  of  his  books,  "Kate  Carnegie," 
gives  a  wonderfully  life-like  sketch  of  "Rabbi  Duncan" 
in  the  story  of  the  Free  Church  minister,  Saunderson. 
Dr.  Watson  could  not  have  known  Dr.  Duncan  per- 
sonally; his  portrayal  was  necessarily  based  on  the 
recollections  of  older  friends.     While  the  circumstances 


RABBI  DUNCAN  371 

of  his  life  were  entirely  different  from  those  in  which 
Rabbi  Saunderson  is  placed,  Dr.  Spaeth  could  assure 
the  author  that  the  description  of  Dr.  Duncan's  char- 
acter, his  learning,  his  humility,  his  charity,  his  absent- 
mindedness  and  his  frequent  fits  of  depression,  seemed 
like  that  of  an  eye  witness.  Dr.  Saunderson  uses  the 
characteristic  phrase  "if  I  am  spared."  The  story  is 
told  of  Dr.  Duncan  that  when  he  first  visited  the  grave 
of  his  wife  he  said  to  the  friend  who  accompanied  him, 
"I,  too,  wish  to  be  laid  here, — if  I  am  spared !" 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   YEARS   OF    COMPLETION 
1907-1910 

....  May  there  be  no  moaning  of  the  bar, 
When  I  put  out  to  sea, 
But  such  a  tide  as  moving  seems  asleep 
Too  full   for  sound  and   foam 
When  that  which  drew  from  out  the  boundless  deep 
Turns   again   home. — Tennyson. 

For  many  years  Dr.  Spaeth  had  a  foreboding  that 
he  would  not  live  longer  than  his  father  had  done. 
When  the  fatal  forty-seventh  year  was  past,  he  spoke 
of  seventy  years  as  the  positive  limit  of  his  life.  From 
this  idea  he  never  wavered.  But  the  thought  was  not 
necessarily  disturbing  or  painful.  Rather  this  fixing 
of  a  definite  term  of  life  helped  him  to  set  his  house  in 
order,  to  complete  whatever  work  remained  unfinished, 
and  gave  to  his  declining  years  the  quiet  joy  of  harvest- 
home. 

After  preparing  the  Annotations  on  John  for  the 
press  in  the  spring  of  1896,  Dr.  Spaeth  was  forced  to 
abandon  the  pen  almost  entirely  owing  to  persistent 
neuritis,  and  to  substitute  the  typewriter.  He  found 
the  change  very  beneficial,  and  soon  became  quite  pro- 
ficient in  his  new  accomplishment.  Only  to  his  old 
mother  he  still  wrote  regularly,  as  she  expressed  an 
utter  contempt  for  "machine  letters!"  In  1899,  after  a 
snowstorm  and  blockade  lasting  forty-eight  hours,  he 
forced  his  way  to  the  Seminary  to  attend  a  Faculty 
meeting.  The  utter  prostration  caused  by  this  exertion 
resulted  in  a  serious  attack  of  Grippe,  with  a  return 
372 


THE  TURN   OF  THE  TIDE  373 

of  asthmatic  symptoms  and  complications  involving 
the  heart.  After  this  he  was  always  subject  to  acute 
attacks  of  Grippe,  being  laid  aside  nearly  every  winter 
for  at  least  several  days. 

Toward  the  end  of  1901  Dr.  Spaeth  writes:  "In 
October  I  had  a  very  fatiguing  time  in  Buffalo  with 
the  Convocation  for  Church  Music  of  which  I  am 
President,  and  the  convention  of  the  General  Council 
in  Lima,  O.,  immediately  afterwards.  In  ten  days  I 
delivered  eight  sermons  or  addresses,  in  German  and 
English,  and  spent  three  nights  in  the  sleeper.  A  cold 
which  I  took  on  the  way  brought  on  an  attack  of  in- 
flammatory rheumatism  which  my  physician  in  Phila- 
delphia looked  upon  as  serious,  fearing  heart  trouble. 
Since  then  I  have  been  under  the  strictest  diet,  no  meat, 
no  eggs,  no  oatmeal,  no  red  wine,  all  things  which  have 
been  my  chief  dependence  heretofore.  I  am  better  now, 
but  feel  as  if  a  good  deal  of  my  old  elasticity  had  de- 
parted under  this  new  mode  of  living."  (A.  S.  to  E.  W.) 

In  1907  he  was  ill  with  Grippe  over  Christmas.  The 
Line  a  Day  notes:  "Bescheerung  (giving  the  presents) 
as  usual,  only  without  Adolph  who  is  always  the  heart 
and  soul  of  everything."  Christmas  Day.  "No  early 
service.  No  evening  celebration  in  St.  Johannis.  We 
all  ate  turkey  and  I  carried  up  panopeptin  and  an 
orange  to  my  poor  patient.  He  has  terrible  spasms  of 
coughing,  and  goes  nearly  wild  for  dread  of  asthma. 
Later  he  asked  me  to  read  Dies  irae  in  the  original." 
By  the  twenty-seventh  he  was  able  to  creep  downstairs 
and  baptize  his  first  grandson.  There  was  quite  a 
company  gathered  in  the  parlor,  but  everyone  had  been 
warned  not  to  speak  to  him,  and  he  returned  to  bed, 
tired  but  unharmed.  The  Diary  shows  that  during 
these  years  his  thoughts  turned  very  often  to  the  ap- 
proaching end.  Hearing  in  one  day  of  the  death  of 
two  old  members  of  St.  Johannis  he  writes:     "So  they 


374  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

go,  one  after  the  other!  How  soon  will  it  be  my 
turn!"  After  his  seventieth  birthday:  "Now  it  is  time 
after  all,  seriously  to  prepare  for  death.  But  the  heart 
still  hardens  itself  against  that.     God  mend  it!" 

In  spite  of  this  gradual  decline  in  his  physical 
strength,  Dr.  Spaeth  was  never  forced  to  give  up  any 
of  his  duties  except  while  he  was  actually  ill.  As  late 
as  March  i,  191  o,  the  Line  a  Day  says:  "Adolph 
very  good-for-nothing,  but  busy  all  day.  Three  hours 
in  the  Seminary,  four  hours  of  Committee  work.  An 
English  annotated  edition  of  selections  from  Luther 
is  planned.  He  is  on  the  Committee  for  selecting  and 
note  writing." 


In  1907  St.  Johannis  celebrated  its  fortieth  anniver- 
sary on  the  thirteenth  of  October,  the  date  of  Dr. 
Spaeth's  first  sermon  as  Pastor,  with  a  beautiful  service. 
For  several  weeks  extensive  improvements  and  altera- 
tions had  been  going  on  in  the  church,  including  the 
setting  of  twelve  stained  glass  windows.  In  a  very 
short  time,  early  in  the  summer,  Dr.  Spaeth  had  secured 
nearly  $4,000  for  this  final  embellishment  of  his  be- 
loved church.  Most  of  the  windows  were  given  by 
families  or  individuals,  usually  as  memorials.  One  of 
them  was  the  gift  of  those  who  had  been  confirmed 
in  St.  Johannis  during  the  last  forty  years.  Not  a 
single  class  was  without  representation  on  this  sub- 
scription list.  On  the  First  Sunday  in  Advent  the 
windows  were  consecrated.  The  alterations  in  the 
church  made  it  seem  much  more  spacious,  and  the 
newly  frescoed  walls  with  their  quiet  tone  and  simple 
ornamentation  served  as  a  fit  setting  for  the  handsome 
glass.  Dr.  Spaeth  preached  to  a  large  congregation 
from  the  text:  "Thine  eyes  shall  see  the  King  in  His 
beauty."       For     the     following     Easter     the     circular 


MEMORIALS  AND  ANNIVERSARIES  375 

windows  in  the  west  wall  were  replaced  by  two  ad- 
ditional memorials,  symbolizing  the  Singing  St.  Johannis 
in  Liturgy  and  Chorale.  On  one  an  angel  holds  the 
scroll:  Gloria  in  Exc'elsis.  On  the  other  the  words  on 
the  scroll  are  "Jerusalem  du  hochgebaute  Stadt."  Later 
the  Frauenverein  contributed  a  very  beautiful  memorial 
to  Mrs.  Maria  Duncan  Spaeth  who  founded  the  Society. 
It  represents  St.  John  the  Elder,  and  many  find  in  the 
noble,  tender  face,  the  hoary  head  and  the  long  white 
beard,  something  that  recalls  the  "first  Pastor." 

The  three  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  birth  of 
Paul  Gerhardt  was  celebrated  in  St.  Johannis  on  the 
tenth  of  March,  1907.  Dr.  Spaeth  took  as  his  text, 
Neh.  8:  10,  'The  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your  strength." 
The  real  birthday  (12th)  was  kept  in  the  Seminary, 
with  the  choir  from  St.  Johannis  and  an  English  ad- 
dress by  Dr.  Spaeth.  On  the  fourteenth  the  sermon  of 
Sunday  was  repeated  in  the  Drexel  Home,  and  Dr. 
Spaeth  spoke  on  the  same  theme  in  Selinsgrove  (April 
1 8th)  in  New  Britain  (May  3d)  and  for  the  Sunday 
school  festival  in  St.  Johannis,  May  9th.  On  the 
twentieth  of  February,  1908,  the  centennial  of  Loehe's 
birth  was  marked  by  a  service  in  the  Seminary  Chapel. 
Dr.  Horn  made  the  address.  The  St.  Johannis  choir 
sang  "O  Gottes  Sohn"  to  the  melody  composed  by 
Dr.  Spaeth.  Leaflets  containing  the  English  words 
were  distributed  in  the  pews.  There  was  a  fair  attend- 
ance. In  this  same  year  the  Diary  contains  the  inter- 
esting note:  "Sunday,  September  29th,  at  the  urgent 
request  of  the  church  council  and  the  congregation  I 
installed  Hans  Meyer  as  Pastor  of  the  independent  St. 
Paul's  Church  (founded  by  Emil  Riecke).  Here  again 
one  may  say  'What  hath  God  wrought!'  Thirty-six 
years  ago  I  should  have  been  soundly  beaten  if  I  had 
ventured  into  that  church." 

"In  November,   1907,  I  had  a  visit  of  several  days, 


376  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

here  in  Philadelphia,  from  my  old  bosom-friend  in 
Blaubeuren,  Otto  Pfleiderer!  He  had  been  attending 
a  Unitarian  Congress  in  Boston,  and  wrote  to  ask 
whether  he  might  visit  me.  He  did  not  wish  to  leave 
the  country  without  clasping  the  hand  of  his  old 
friend  once  more.  So  he  came  and  spent  two  days 
quite  comfortably  with  us.  He  seemed  highly  inter- 
ested in  all  my  work.  About  his  own  work  and  his 
views  of  life  he  kept  absolutely  silent.  On  Sunday 
I  took  him  in  to  St.  Johannis  where  he  had  to  listen 
to  an  orthodox  sermon  from  his  old  friend.*  I  had 
included  this  from  the  beginning  in  the  program  of 
his  visit,  and  he  accepted  the  proposition  with  pleasure. 
During  the  service  he  took  part  in  everything  except 
the  Apostles'  Creed  which,  with  us,  is  repeated  every 
Sunday  by  the  whole  congregation.  My  good  Berlin 
Professor  kept  silence  at  this  point!  In  our  Guest 
Book  he  wrote:  'Old  love  does  not  rust,'  and  took 
leave  of  me  very  tenderly.  Who  can  tell  what  he  may 
have  taken  with  him  from  our  atmosphere,  which  is  so 
totally  different  from  that  which  seems  to  be  his  own 
element!"  (A.  S.  to  E.  W.)  The  Diary  records  that 
Professor  Pfleiderer  was  taken  to  a  concert  by  the 
Philadelphia  orchestra,  the  first  one  conducted  by 
Pohlig;  he  inspected  the  Krauth  Library  which  was 
approaching  completion,  and  saw  the  Mary  J.  Drexel 
Home.  Professor  Pfleiderer  died  on  the  eighteenth  of 
July,  1908. 

THE  INDIA   MISSION 

December  24,  1907.  "One  thing  attracted  my  at- 
tention in  the  report  of  the  General  Council  in  Buffalo, 
which  I  find  hard  to  understand,  though  there  is  prob- 
ably some  other  explanation  of  it.     That  is,  the  decision 

♦Gospel  for  the  Twenty-first  S.  after  Trinity.  Except  ye  see 
signs  and  wonders  ye  will  not  believe. 


THE  INSPECTOR  FOR  INDIA  377 

to  send  a  committee  of  two  men  to  the  mission  field  in 
India,  to  make  a  thorough  inspection  of  conditions 
there,  etc.  Professor  A.  Spaeth  is  named  as  the  second 
inspector.  That  must  be  a  son  of  yours — for  while  the 
problem  that  is  there  to  be  solved  needs  no  little  experi- 
ence and  authority,  the  journey,  not  in  the  German  home 
but  to  India,  seems  to  me  notwithstanding,  far  beyond 
what  an  old  gentleman  can  take  upon  himself,  though 
he  be  ever  so  robust."  (E.  W.  to  A.  S.) 

January  6,  1908.  "Yes,  my  dear  friend,  the  inspector 
for  India  whose  name  you  saw  mentioned  is  none  other 
than  myself!  For  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  (1876- 
1891)  I  was  President  of  our  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, and  therefore  well  acquainted  with  conditions 
there.  Besides  this  came  the  consideration  that  my 
judgment  would  have  had  more  weight  with  the  dif- 
ferent parties  in  our  General  Council,  Germans,  Swedes 
and  Americans,  than  that  of  younger  men.  I  would 
have  liked  to  go,  but  the  work  in  the  Seminary  and 
in  my  pulpit  seemed  absolutely  to  exclude  all  thought 
of  it.  So  I  declined.  Then  the  President  of  the 
General  Council  sent  a  specially  urgent  letter  to  me, 
begging  that  I  would  at  least  accept  the  appointment 
for  next  fall,  as  no  one  wanted  anyone  else  in  my  place. 
I  reminded  him  that  if  I  should  undertake  this  journey 
in  the  coming  fall  I  should  already  have  entered  on 
my  seventieth  year!  Now  the  whole  matter  is  finally  at 
rest."  (A.  S.  to  E.  W.) 

THE    KRAUTH    MEMORIAL    LIBRARY 

At  the  meeting  of  Synod  in  1883  Dr.  Spaeth  had 
the  pleasure  of  announcing  that  Dr.  Krauth's  family 
had  presented  his  library  to  the  Seminary,  on  condition 
that  as  soon  as  possible  a  fire-proof  building  should  be 
erected  for  it.     The  library  was  valued  at  $30,000  and 


378  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

was  not  only  rich  in  every  department  of  theology,  but 
contained  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  old  Bibles  in 
the  country.  For  nearly  twenty-five  years  the  Seminary 
Board  regularly  reported  the  condition  of  these  valuable 
books,  and  the  crying  need  for  a  building.  At  first 
they  were  placed  in  storage,  whence  they  were  removed 
within  twenty-four  hours  of  the  destruction  of  the 
building  by  fire;  later  they  were  "stored  in  a  garret" 
where  they  were  "a  prey  to  heat  and  dust"  and  "going 
to  pieces,"  but  nothing  was  done. 

At  last,  in  1906,  the  report  of  the  Board  included 
that  of  the  Dean  of  the  Faculty  in  which  Dr.  Jacobs 
said:  "The  most  important  event  in  the  history  of  the 
Seminary  during  the  past  year  has  been  the  response 
made  to  the  urgent  appeal  printed  in  the  last  report 
of  the  Board  to  the  Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania,  for 
a  library  building.  On  January  8th  we  had  the  extra- 
ordinary privilege  of  offering  to  this  Board,  on  behalf 
of  a  devout  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  who  insists 
that  his  name  be  withheld,*  the  sum  of  $50,000  for 
the  erection  of  a  Krauth  Memorial  Library  Building; 
and  on  January  25th,  had  the  gratification  of  putting 
a  cheque  for  that  amount  into  the  hands  of  our 
Treasurer."  ....  In  regard  to  plans,  the  "donor 
named  Rev.  L.  D.  Reed,  in  addition  to  Dr.  A.  Spaeth 
and  the  Dean,  as  his  representatives  in  projecting  the 
kind  of  building  suitable  as  a  memorial  of  the  late 
Dr.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth,  and  adapted  to  the 
purpose  of  a  library  which  would  properly  represent 
the  Lutheran  Church  among  the  scholars  and  investi- 
gators in  America."     In  May  a  second  gift  of  $50,000 

♦Among  ourselves  this  gentleman  was  known  as  "G.  D."  On 
the  8th  of  January,  1907,  when  "Library  Day"  was  celebrated  for 
the  first  and  last  time,  Dr.  Spaeth  alluded  to  G.  D.,  causing  a  ripple 
of  excitement  and  a  pricking  up  of  ears  in  the  audience.  With  a 
quizzical  smile  he  added,  "Generous  Donor!"  and  the  identity  of 
our  great  unknown  was  still  safe. 


PLANS   FOR  THE  KRAUTH   LIBRARY  379 

was  made  by  the  same  friend,  for  the  completion  and 
equipment  of  the  library,  including  if  possible,  an  organ 
for  the  auditorium,  moving  and  cataloguing  the  books 

.  .  .  .  and  other  expenses  incidental  to  putting 
the  library  into  efficient  operation.  In  1907  Rev. 
Luther  D.  Reed  was  appointed  Director  of  the  Krauth 
Library. 

Dr.  Spaeth's  Diary  notes,  December  28,  1905, 
"This  evening  call  from  Dr.  Jacobs,  who  announced 
a  Christmas  gift  of  $10,000  for  a  Krauth  Memorial 
Library,  from  an  unnamed  friend.  Next!  Quod 
bonum  felix  faustumque  sit!"  January  31,  1906.  "For 
the  Seminary  the  New  Year  brought  us  the  gift  of 
$50,000  for  the  Library.  I  have  given  offense  to  some 
of  the  Committee  by  my  criticism  of  the  plans  presented 
by  our  architect,*  but  I  hope  now  that  everything  will 
come  right,  even  though  I  'was  in  the  minority'  as  one 
gentleman  rather  pointedly  reminded  me."  February 
1 6th.  "To  Easton  with  Dr.  Jacobs,  looking  at  libraries, 
Carnegie's  City,  and  Lafayette."  They  also  inspected 
the  "splendid  library"  in  Princeton,  where  they  learned 
many  things.  March  27th.  "Last  week  thorough  dis- 
cussion of  the  Library  plans  with  Dr.  Jacobs  and  Mr. 
Watson.  The  latter  was  evidently  much  impressed  by 
my  sketch  of  the  main  features,  and  promised  to  work 
out  a  plan  on  this  line."  September  17th.  "With  the 
library  building  things  have  so  developed  that  I  see  the 
fulfilment  of  all  my  wishes.  Our  architect,  Mr.  Wat- 
son, and  Mr.  Reed  have  understood  me,  and  in  the 
final  plan  submitted  to  the  Board  my  dreams  have  be- 

*  These  first  plans  were  too  conventional.  Dr.  Spaeth  wanted 
something  characteristically  Lutheran.  As  finally  built,  the  Library 
embodies  the  idea  of  "Ein  feste  Burg,"  and  is  also  a  "symbol  in 
stone  of  the  character  of  the  great  and  honored  man  whose  name 
it  bears;  power  and  strength  combined  with  a  noble  refinement 
and   elegance." 


380  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

come  realities.  Now  the  splendid  building  is  growing 
rapidly,  and  we  expect  to  lay  the  corner-stone  on  the 
twenty-seventh." 

From  the  day  that  ground  was  broken,  the  library 
became  an  absorbing  object  of  interest  to  Dr.  Spaeth. 
Just  as  he  had  watched  the  daily  growth  of  St.  Johannis 
forty  years  before,  now,  as  an  old  man,  he  showed  the 
same  eager  delight  in  the  progress  of  the  Krauth 
Memorial.  There  was  scarcely  a  day  that  "papa 
vecchio"  was  not  welcomed  by  the  Italian  masons,  when 
he  climbed  to  the  very  top  stone  of  the  building,  with 
his  firm,  elastic  step,  and  returned  their  greeting  from 
his  store  of  Italian  phrases  picked  up  in  his  youth.  On 
the  twenty-seventh  of  September,  1906,  a  rainy  day, 
the  corner-stone  was  laid  by  Dr.  Krotel.  "The  morning 
sermon  by  Armand  Miller  was  fine,  a  true  testimony 
to  the  faith,  out  of  the  fulness  of  the  Scripture.  I  was 
really  proud  of  him  as  'one  of  my  boys.'  Fortunately, 
for  the  actual  laying  of  the  corner-stone  the  rain 
stopped,  and  Dr.  Krotel  spoke  with  great  warmth  and 
freshness."   (Diary.) 

For  Seminary  Day,  1907,  the  ladies  were  able  to 
use  the  commodious  dining  room  under  the  Auditorium 
of  the  Library,  and  on  June  3,  1908,  the  dedication  of 
the  completed  building  took  place.  "Early  in  the 
morning  I  wrote  a  letter  of  thanks  to  our  'G.  D.',  and 
presided  at  the  chief  ceremonies  in  the  forenoon,  intro- 
ducing the  speakers,  Dr.  Thompson  and  Dr.  Jacobs, 
and  directing  the  procession  from  the  tent  to  the  main 
door.  It  was  a  red-letter  day  for  our  Seminary  and 
the  whole  Lutheran  Church."  (Diary.)  The  Lutheran 
devoted  several  columns  to  this  "greatest  day  in  the 
history  of  the  Seminary,"  giving  most  of  Dr.  Thomp- 
son's able  address.  His  theme  was  "A  Scholar  among 
his  Books,"  and  the  address  was  a  "thoughtful  and 
glowing   tribute   to   his   distinguished   colleague   at   the 


DEDICATION   OF  THE  LIBRARY  381 

University  of  Pennsylvania,  portraying  the  character 
and  worth  of  Dr.  Krauth  in  a  manner  that  made  him 
seem  doubly  great  and  precious  to  us  Lutherans.  Dr. 
Jacobs'  address  on  the  Aim  and  Scope  of  the  Library 
was  a  masterly  analysis  of  what  constitutes  a  theological 
library,  and  a  clear  setting  forth  of  its  purpose  and  the 
uses  to  which  it  is  to  be  put."  This  address  was  pub- 
lished later  in  permanent  form.  "To  Dr.  Jacobs  the 
Library  is  a  fulfilment  of  the  desires,  an  answer  to  the 
prayers  of  many  years,  and  the  most  fitting  crown  to 
his  silver  jubilee  as  Dr.  Krauth's  successor  in  the 
Faculty,  which  we  celebrate  this  year."  (Kirchenbote.) 
After  the  ceremonies  in  the  great  tent  the  whole  com- 
pany marched  to  the  main  portal  of  the  Library,  where 
the  key  was  handed  by  Mr.  Watson  to  Dr.  Horn, 
Chairman  of  the  Building  Committee.  He  gave  it  in 
turn  to  Pastor  Reed  who,  as  the  representative  of  the 
donor,  delivered  the  building  to  Dr.  Horine,  President 
of  the  Board  of  Directors.  In  the  afternoon  words  of 
greeting  were  spoken  by  prominent  men  from  the 
various  Lutheran  Seminaries  and  Colleges,  and  by  the 
Provost  of  the  University.  The  magnificent  building 
was  illuminated  in  the  evening. 

THE  GENERAL   CONFERENCE   IN    ROCHESTER 

When  Dr.  Spaeth  closed  his  Erinnerungen  with  a 
full  account  of  the  relations  between  the  General 
Council  and  the  Seminary  in  Kropp,  he  did  so  in  an- 
ticipation of  an  important  conference  of  German  pastors 
which  was  soon  to  be  held.  At  the  General  Council 
in  Buffalo,  1907,  the  motion  was  made  by  Dr.  Spaeth: 
Whereas  it  appears  from  the  Report  of  the  German 
Home  Mission  Board  that  the  German  Home  Mission 
and  Educational  work  of  the  General  Council  is  greatly 
embarrassed  and  in  danger  of  being  completely  crippled 


382  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

by  the  lack  of  suitable  men  and  the  peculiar  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  the  proper  training  for  the  work  in  this 
country,  therefore  be  it  Resolved,  That  the  General 
Council  recommend  that  the  German  brethren  connected 
with  our  Synods  hold  one  or  more  Conferences  for  a 
thorough  consideration  of  the  whole  problem,  and  that, 
as  a  result  of  these  conventions,  they  propose  to  this 
Body  some  definite  plan  of  action  which  may  remove 
the  difficulties.  A  second  resolution  provided  that  the 
President  of  the  Council  should  appoint  a  committee 
which  should  have  authority  to  call  such  Conference 
or  Conferences,  and  report  their  action  to  the  next 
convention  of  the  General  Council.  These  resolutions 
were  adopted  and  the  Committee  was  appointed,  with 
Dr.  Spaeth  as  Chairman. 

In  1909  at  Minneapolis,  this  Committee  reported 
having  met  and  devised  a  plan  for  presenting  and  dis- 
cussing the  questions  vital  to  the  German  interests  of 
the  General  Council.  An  invitation  had  then  been 
issued  to  all  German  pastors  connected  with  the  General 
Council  to  attend  a  General  Conference  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.  At  this  Committee  meeting  in  March  subjects 
for  discussion  were  chosen.  1.  How  to  increase  the 
supply  of  German  pastors.  2.  The  consolidation  of  the 
German  church-papers  now  published  in  the  General 
Council,  and  the  founding  of  a  German  organ.  As  the 
best  solution  of  the  first  question  it  was  proposed  to 
resume  official  relations  with  Kropp.  Resolutions  were 
adopted  to  be  submitted  to  the  Conference,  and  Dr. 
Spaeth  was  requested  to  open  the  discussion  with  a 
historical  introduction. 

The  First  Free  Conference  of  German  Pastors  of  the 

General  Council  was  held  in  Rochester,  September  9th 

and  10th,  1908.    It  was  a  great  success  in  attendance  and 

in  unanimity  of  action.     In  all  the  votes  taken  there 

was  no  dissenting  voice.     Dr.  Spaeth  opened  the  Con- 


OPENING   SERMON   AT   ROCHESTER  383 

ference  with  a  sermon  on  I  Cor.  1:  10.  "Now  I  be- 
seech you,  brethren,  by  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  ye  all  speak  the  same  thing,  and  that  there 
be  no  divisions  among  you;  but  that  ye  be  perfectly 
joined  together  in  the  same  mind,  and  in  the  same 
judgment."  This  text  had  been  chosen  nearly  forty- 
two  years  before  by  Professor  Loy  for  his  opening 
sermon  at  the  Convention  in  Reading,  a  convention 
marked  by  absolute  unanimity  in  doctrine  and  in  pur- 
pose. It  needed  neither  explanation  nor  justification  if 
the  German  brethren  of  the  General  Council  were  urged 
once  more  to  stand  firmly  on  the  ground  here  laid  down, 
and  to  draw  from  these  words  the  same  oneness  of 
spirit  that  had  animated  our  fathers  then,  and  inspired 
them  to  found  the  General  Council. 

'The  position  of  the  German  Lutherans  is  peculiar 
and  difficult.  They  do  not  form  a  compact  unit  like 
the  Swedes  ....  nor  does  it  seem  possible  to 
give  to  their  problems  the  shape  which  the  English 
mission  work  has  recently  taken,  through  its  centraliza- 
tion plan.  The  Germans  are  divided  into  small  groups, 
with  no  common  organization  or  representation.  In 
several  of  our  Synods  the  language  used  is  German, 
but  a  German  element  equally  strong  is  found  in  Synods 
using  mixed  languages.  The  situation  is  further  com- 
plicated by  the  fact  that  our  German  pastors  have  not 
had  the  same  training  and  culture  from  their  youth  up. 
We  have  some  pastors  who  were  born  and  educated 
here,  others  born  and  educated  abroad ;  North  Germans 
and  South  Germans,  Pennsylvanians,  Canadians,  and 
New  Yorkers,  Eastern  and  Western  men.  The  natural 
result  is  that  to  this  day  our  German  element  in  the 
General  Council  has  never  taken  the  position  or  exerted 
the  influence  to  which  it  is  entitled.  This  was  not  be- 
cause of  any  intention  on  the  part  of  English  or 
Swedish  brethren  to  slight  the  Germans,   to  rob  them 


384  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

of  their  inherent  rights,  to  give  to  their  necessities  only 
a  grudging  recognition  or  none  at  all, — but,  above  all, 
because  the  German  element  never  showed  a  close 
front;  because  in  critical  moments  it  never  knew  clearly 
what  it  should  and  would  do. 

"Now  the  General  Council  in  its  last  convention  has 
taken  up,  in  the  most  friendly  spirit,  the  needs  and 
claims  of  the  German  portion  of  our  Church.  We 
Germans  are  to  have  the  opportunity  of  coming  together, 
to  formulate  our  wishes  and  requirements,  and  then  to 
appear  before  the  General  Council  with  clearly  denned 
resolutions.     To  this  end  this  Conference  is  called." 

In  the  subsequent  discussion  most  of  the  speakers 
urged  unity  of  aim  and  action,  with  many  references 
to  the  impression  made  by  this  opening  sermon.  The 
third  session  on  Thursday  forenoon  was  devoted  to 
Kropp.  Dr.  Spaeth  read  an  exhaustive  paper  treating 
of  the  historical  relations  of  the  General  Council  to 
Pastor  Paulsen's  institution.  When  he  came  to  the 
critical  period  of  1886  to  1888,  when  the  existing  rela- 
tions with  Kropp  were  severed,  he  was  very  clear  and 
full  in  his  statements,  and  Pastor  Beer  who  at  that  time 
had  been  Director  at  Kropp,  confessed  that  the  state- 
ment was  not  only  just,  but  threw  light  on  points  which 
he  had  not  so  clearly  understood  before.  After  the 
Conference  adjourned  Pastor  Beer  came  to  Dr.  Spaeth, 
pressed  his  hand  in  deep  emotion  and  said:  "You  de- 
served a  special  vote  of  thanks  from  this  Conference!" 
A  permanent  Kropp  Commission  was  constituted  in 
1909  on  which  Dr.  Spaeth  represented  the  Seminary. 
The  Report  of  this  Commission  in  191 1  says:  "Dr. 
Spaeth  never  missed  a  meeting  of  the  Commission 
except  one  held  ten  days  before  his  death.  He  worked 
in  harmony  with  the  members  of  the  Commission  and 
consented  to  all  its  resolutions."  Dr.  Schmauk,  who 
was  President  of  the  General  Council  and  greatly  in- 


HARMONY  IN  THE  GENERAL  COUNCIL  385 

terested  in  the  Conference,  called  attention  in  his 
Report  for  1909  to  the  element  of  hopefulness  and 
the  spirit  of  unity  which  have  entered  into  the  German 
work  of  the  General  Council.  For  the  first  time  in  a 
generation  our  Germans  are  thoroughly  united  in  senti- 
ment, purpose  and  plan,  and  in  harmony  with  the  work 
in  the  English  and  Scandinavian  parts  of  the  Council. 
This  is  largely  the  result  of  the  German  Conference 
held  last  fall  in  Rochester,  and  opened  with  a  sermon 
by  Dr.  Spaeth  on  I  Cor.  1:10.  In  November  Dr. 
Spaeth  wrote:  "I  had  scarcely  landed  in  America 
(September  2d)  when  I  was  obliged  to  attend  the  con- 
vention of  the  General  Council  in  Minneapolis,  which 
meant  forty-eight  hours  uninterrupted  railroad  travel 
each  way.  The  convention  was  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance for  the  German  portion  of  our  Church,  inas- 
much as  it  proposed  its  complete  reconstruction,  and 
carried  it  through  without  opposition.  Now  my  Ger- 
mans must  show  whether  they  can  really  stand  together, 
or  whether  Bismarck's  saying  that  any  two  Germans 
will  have  three  different  opinions  is  to  govern  the 
church-life  of  the  Germans  in  this  country.  Last  year, 
in  an  important  conference  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  I  tried 
to  pave  the  way  for  a  firmer  union."  (A.  S.  to  E.  W.) 

COMPLETION   OF   THE    KRAUTH    BIOGRAPHY 

March  12,  1909.  "Finished  the  second  volume  of 
the  Krauth  Biography.  In  the  last  few  weeks  I  have 
been  working  on  it  with  renewed  enthusiasm,  making 
important  alterations  and  additions.  For  example  I 
have  introduced  a  whole  new  chapter,  'The  National 
Crisis.'  The  publisher  gives  us  hope  that  before  we 
leave  America  on  June  2d,  it  will  all  be  set  up.  Harriett 
is  busy  with  an  Index  which  is  to  include  both  volumes, 
and  to  go  a  good  deal  into  detail.     I  have  given  her  as 


386  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

model  the  Index  of  Morley's  Gladstone,  which  she  ad- 
mires very  much.  It  covers  about  fifty  pages."  (Diary.) 
November  13,  1909.  "My  second  volume  of  the  Krauth 
Biography  of  which  I  published  the  first  volume  eleven 
years  ago,  is  now  going  through  the  press.  ...  I 
am  so  glad  and  thankful  that  I  have  been  permitted  to 
complete  this  work  which,  for  the  English  Lutheran 
Church  of  the  future  in  America,  is  so  important  and 
so  necessary.  God  grant  that  it  may  fulfil  its  mission !" 
(A.  S.  to  E.  W.)  January  1,  191  o.  "At  the  end  of  the 
year  the  second  volume  of  the  Biography  was  just 
finished  and  given  to  the  public.  The  editor  of  the 
Lutheran  gave  it  a  friendly,  even  an  enthusiastic  wel- 
come. Otherwise,  so  far,  everyone  is  singularly  quiet 
about  it."  (Diary.) 

The  Lutheran  of  June  30,  1910,  says:  "One  of  the 
triumphs  of  his  life  was  the  production  of  the 
Biography  of  that  remarkable  man,  the  late  Dr.  Krauth 
in  two  large  volumes.  It  is  a  history  of  important 
times  in  the  American  Lutheran  Church,  told  in  the 
words  of  Dr.  Krauth  and  in  the  logical  and  forceful 
manner  of  Dr.  Spaeth.  Thus  these  two  mighty  men  of 
faith  are  reflected  in  a  work  which  throbs  with  the 
beauty  and  the  strength  of  these  giants  of  the  Church." 

THE   CLOSING   YEAR 

Shortly  before  the  time  appointed  for  his  going 
abroad,  Dr.  Spaeth  was  alarmed  by  new  and  more 
serious  symptoms  in  the  disease  for  which  he  had  been 
receiving  treatment  for  some  months.  His  physician 
sent  him  to  the  distinguished  surgeon,  Dr.  Deaver, 
for  a  decisive  examination.  This  was  delayed  for  a 
week, — an  anxious  week  in  which  the  under-current  of 
gloomy  anticipation  mingled  with  the  work  that  went 
on  apparently  as  usual.     On  the  intervening  Sunday, 


FAMILY    FESTIVALS  387 

Cantate,  he  preached  "with  full  strength,"  and  con- 
ducted his  Sunday  School  anniversary  in  the  evening. 
He  gave  his  three  hours  in  the  Seminary  "only  to  get 
my  thoughts  on  something  else." 

Dr.  Deaver's  diagnosis  was  unexpectedly  favorable, 
closing  with  the  advice:  "You  go  to  Europe!"  "But 
now!  'Bless  the  Lord  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all 
His  benefits.'  'I  shall  go  softly  all  my  years  in  the  bit- 
terness of  my  soul.'  'Behold,  thou  art  made  whole:  sin 
no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  come  unto  thee.'  O  how 
different  the  familiar  Word  of  God  seems,  when  we 
face  the  realities  of  suffering  and  death  and  eternity!" 
The  quiet,  pleasant  life  on  the  ship  did  him  good,  but 
the  old  delight  in  travel  was  gone.  He  took  but  a 
languid  interest  even  in  the  Swabian  home  he  so 
passionately  loved,  and  to  his  dear  ones  there,  the  "black 
figure"  of  which  his  mother  once  wrote,  the  "black 
figure  of  a  certain  final  parting  for  this  life"  stood  only 
too  plainly  behind  him.  Dr.  Schott  writes  of  his  visit 
to  Blaubeuren:  "In  1909,  at  the  re-union  of  his  pro- 
motion in  Blaubeuren  Dr.  Spaeth  expressed  his  pleasure 
in  seeing  his  classmates  once  more,  and,  in  a  speech 
which  came  from  his  heart,  took  leave  of  his  old  com- 
rades whom  he  was  not  to  meet  again." 

On  the  tenth  of  April,  1909,  Dr.  Spaeth  celebrated 
the  centennial  of  his  father's  birth.  "Harriett  had  pre- 
pared a  lovely  surprise  for  me.  She  had  sent  timely 
notice  to  all  the  children,  and  from  each  one  of  them 
came  a  letter  or  telegram  of  congratulation.  A  fine 
birthday  table  with  verses  and  presents  for  me,  was 
further  decorated  with  pictures  of  father  and  mother, 
and  all  their  children  and  children's  children."  (Diary.) 

In  October  Dr.  Spaeth's  family  again  held  high 
festival  on  his  seventieth  birthday,  the  various  celebra- 
tions lasting  from  the  twenty-eighth,  when  the  St. 
Johannis  choir  gave  him  their  annual  "surprise  party," 


388  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

to  the  thirty-first,  including  the  Reformation  Festival 
for  which  most  of  his  children  were  in  St.  Johannis, 
and  the  anniversary  of  the  Frauenverein,  who  presented 
him  with  a  handsome  purse.  "In  the  celebration  of  my 
seventieth  birthday  not  only  the  narrower  circle  of  my 
own  family  took  part,  but  also  the  congregation,  the 
Seminary,  the  Church  here  and,  as  I  discovered  this 
week  to  my  great  surprise,  the  Swabian  press,  in  the 
Merkur  and  Esslingen  papers.  Even  the  Gazette  du  Roi 
by  resolution  of  the  Koenigsgesellschaft,  noticed  the  oc- 
casion!" (A.  S.  to  E.  W.)  The  Schwaebische  Merkur 
says,  among  other  things:  "A  faithful  son  of  his 
Swabian  home  will  celebrate  his  seventieth  birthday  in 
Philadelphia,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  October.  .  .  . 
In  1864,  under  rather  unusual  circumstances,  Dr.  Adolph 
Spaeth  was  led  to  the  New  World.  The  youth  whose 
inclination  was  to  the  ideal,  with  his  rich  imagination 
and  noble  disdain  of  the  sordid  cares  of  life,  struck  firm 
root  in  that  land  absorbed  in  business,  and  has  proved 
that  even  there  under  the  protection  of  free  institutions, 
intellectual,  moral  and  religious  aims  can  be  successfully 

pursued As  a   distinguished   preacher,   as 

Professor,  and  as  President  of  the  General  Council  he 
has  ably  served  the  Lutheran  Church  in  North  America. 
Through  his  brilliant  oratory  his  fame  has  spread  far 
beyond  the  bounds  of  his  ecclesiastical  connection.     .     . 

.  .  By  frequent  visits  he  has  kept  up  a  close  relation 
with  his  family  and  friends  in  the  old  home.  His  fellow 
citizens  in  Esslingen  recall  with  pleasure  his  frequent 
sermons  in  the  churches  of  his  native  town,  so  finished  in 
form,  so  full  in  substance,  which  always  testified  how 
cordially  and  sympathetically  he  remained  in  touch  with 
the  Fatherland." 

For  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  Motherhouse, 
September  29,  1909,  Rector  Cordes  had  come  over  with 
Mrs.   Cordes   from   Hamburg,   in   order  to   preach   the 


JUBILEE   OF   THE   MOTHERHOUSE  389 

festival  sermon.  His  text  was  Ps.  106:  1.  "O  give 
thanks  unto  the  Lord,  for  He  is  good;  for  His  mercy 
endureth  forever."  It  was  a  grand  sermon,  of  grati- 
tude for  what  God  has  wrought  in  the  past,  of  hope 
for  what  He  will  yet  do  for  the  Church  through  the 
great  work  of  the  Diaconate.  At  the  service  in  the 
afternoon  many  representatives  of  other  church  interests 
brought  congratulation  and  greeting.  Mr.  Cordes  spoke 
again,  recalling  his  connection  with  the  Deaconess 
House.  He  spoke  of  the  false  ambition  of  many  women 
in  our  days,  and  emphasized  "Not  women's  rights  but 
right  women,"  as  the  crying  need  of  the  hour.  The 
closing  address  in  the  afternoon,  "a  masterly  summing 
up  of  the  principal  sentiments  of  the  occasion,  leading 
to  new  inspiration  and  new  consecration  .... 
was  made  by  Dr.  Spaeth,  whose  whole-souled  eloquence 
was  the  fitting  climax  of  our  Jubilee."  (Annual.) 

HANS  ALBRECHT's   RECORD 

In  returning  to  America  in  1909  Dr.  Spaeth  had  met 
Mr.  Jacob  Rommel  on  the  steamer,  and  reminded  him 
of  a  promise  made  many  years  before,  that  a  certain 
old  book,  possibly  a  Bible,  which  had  come  into  his 
possession  through  the  Bremer  family  should  be  pre- 
sented to  the  Seminary.  Dr.  Spaeth  had  never  seen 
this  book,  but  after  Mr.  Rommel  sent  it  out  to  Mt.  Airy 
he  discovered  that  it  was  not  a  Bible,  but  a  copy  of 
Luther's  "Auslegung  der  Episteln  und  Evangelien  von 
Ostern  bis  Advent."  *  "On  examining  the  large  folio 
volume,  which  is  in  its  original  binding  and  very  well 
preserved,  I  was  surprised  and  delighted  to  find  on  the 

*  The  full  account  of  this  discovery  with  photographic  reproduc- 
tion of  Hans  Albrecht's  writing  is  given  in  the  Lutheran  Church 
Review  for  April,  1910.  This  was  Dr.  Spaeth's  last  article  for  the 
Review. 


390  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

fly  leaf  at  the  end  of  the  book,  and  partly  on  the  back 
cover,  a  full  account  of  the  death  of  Martin  Luther, 
written  in  a  clear  and  legible  hand  and  somewhat  orna- 
mental chirography,  together  with  a  brief  report  of  the 
funeral  service  held  in  Eisleben,  on  February  19,  1546, 
and  the  sermon  preached  by  Dr.  Jonas."  The  English 
translation  of  this  account  is  as  follows.  "Anno  1546, 
February  the  seventeenth,  on  Wednesday  after  Valen- 
tine's day,  toward  evening,  after  supper,  about  eight 
o'clock,  Dr.  Martinus  Luther  became  sick  (weak)  and 
complained  of  pains  in  his  chest.  But  after  he  had 
been  rubbed  with  warm  towels  and  had  taken  two 
spoons  full  of  wine,  with  shavings  of  Einhorn  in  it, 
of  which  Curdi  von  Wolf  Ramsdorf  had  first  tasted  a 
spoon  full,  before  the  Doctor,  he  slept  in  the  (sitting) 
room,  on  the  lounge  for  an  hour  and  a  half.  When  the 
clock  struck  ten  he  was  put  to  bed  and  slept  until  one 
o'clock.  Then  he  wakened  his  servant  (famulus)  Am- 
brosius  Rutfelt  of  Oelitz  and  told  him  to  make  fire  in 
the  room.  But  as  the  room  was  already  warm,  he  rose 
from  the  bed  and  said:  'Doctor  Jonas,  I  am  very 
weak;  I  fear  I  shall  never  leave  Eisleben.'  He  then 
walked  up  and  down  in  the  room  once  or  twice.  After 
this  he  lay  down  on  the  lounge  and  complained  of  great 
oppression  on  the  chest,  though,  thus  far,  the  heart 
was  not  affected.  When  he  was  rubbed  with  towels  and 
his  pillows  and  covers  were  warmed  he  said,  it  was  a 
relief  to  be  kept  warm,  but  that  he  was  in  a  great 
sweat.  The  bystanders,  Michael  Coelius,  Doctor  Jonas, 
Johannes  Aurifaber  and  his  servant  comforted  him, 
saying,  that  was  a  good  sign.  But  the  Doctor  said, 
this  is  a  cold  death-sweat,  I  am  going  to  give  up  the 
ghost,  for  I  am  getting  worse.  Thereupon  both  physi- 
cians were  hurriedly  summoned.  But  when  we  had 
meanwhile  rubbed  him  with  Aqua  Vitae,  lavender  water, 
aromatic    vinegar    and    other    stimulants,    which    our 


HANS  ALBRECHT'S   RECORD  391 

gracious  Count  Albrecht  and  his  wife  had  brought,  he 
began  to  speak  thus:  'I  thank  Thee,  Lord  God, 
heavenly  Father,  that  Thou  hast  revealed  unto  me  Thy 
dear  Son,  in  whom  I  believed,  whom  I  confessed  and 
preached,  whom  I  loved  and  lauded,  but  whom  the 
godless  dishonour,  blaspheme  and  revile.  I  pray  Thee, 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  my  soul  be  commended  to  Thee. 
O  heavenly  Father,  I  know,  though  I  must  give  up  this 
body,  that  I  shall  live  forever  with  Thee.  Et  dixit,  Sic 
Deus  dilexit  mundum,  ut  filium  suum  unigenitum  daret, 
ut  omnis  qui  credit  in  eum,  non  pereat,  sed  habeat  vitam 
aeternam,  Deus,  qui  salvos  facis  sperantes  in  Te  et 
reducis  ex  morte.  I  am  ready  to  depart.'  Then  he  said 
three  times,  'Pater,  in  manus  tuas  commendo  tibi 
spiritum  meum.'  After  this  he  was  silent.  When  they 
shook  him  and  called  to  him,  he  did  not  answer.  They 
then  applied  Aqua  Vitae  to  his  nostrils  and  called  him 
loudly  by  name.  Doctor  Jonas  and  Michael  (Coelius) 
asked  him:  'Doctor  Martine,  Reverende  pater,  are  you 
now  ready  to  die  in  the  faith  of  Christ  and  the  doctrine 
which  you  preached  in  His  name?'  Thereupon  he  said, 
so  that  it  could  be  heard  distinctly,  'Yes.'  Then  he 
turned  on  his  right  side,  and  slept  for  some  minutes 
(eine  gute  halbe  viertel  Stunde),  so  that  we  hoped  he 
was  getting  better.  Then  came  the  death-rattle,  a  deep 
drawn  breath,  and  he  was  gone.  Thus  he  departed 
peacefully  and  patiently  in  the  Lord  between  two  and 
three  o'clock  a.  m.  God  be  merciful  unto  us  all  and 
help  us.     Amen. 

"D.  M.  L. 

"We   cannot   do   what   every   one   wills 
But  we  can  do  what  we  will. 

"These  words  were  written  on  the  wall  by  Doctor 
Martinus  Luther  thirteen  days  before  his  death. 

"On  Friday,  February  19th,  2  p.  m.,  Doctor  Martinus 


392  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

Luther  was  taken  to  St.  Andrew's  Church,  in  Eisleben. 
The  coffin  was  placed  in  the  chancel.  There  were  pres- 
ent Prince  Wolf  von  Anhalt,  Count  Heinrich  von 
Schwarzburg,  his  son  Sychardt,  Count  Gebhardt,  Al- 
brecht,  Philips,  Vulradt,  Jorge,  Hans  and  other  young 
gentlemen  also  the  ladies  of  Count  Gebhardt  and  Al- 
brecht.  Doctor  Jonas  preached  a  beautiful  sermon 
showing  what  Doctor  Martinus  had  been,  how  and  what 
he  wrote,  and  how  at  last  he  departed  in  peace.  In  his 
third  part  he  explained  and  applied  the  words  of  Paul. 
There  were  more  than  4,000  people  present  at  this  ser- 
mon. May  God  grant  unto  us  also  to  depart  in  peace. 
Amen." 

"A  close  examination  of  this  account  convinced  me 
that  it  must  have  been  written  not  only  by  a  cotem- 
porary,  but,  evidently,  by  an  eye-witness.  Being  anxious 
to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  personality  of  the  writer, 
but  not  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  autographs  of 
men  that  might  have  to  be  considered  in  this  connection, 
I  secured  a  photographic  reproduction  of  the  whole 
record.  This  I  sent  to  Dr.  W.  Walther  of  Rostock,  a 
well  known  specialist  on  Luther  and  his  writings,  re- 
questing him  to  examine  the  matter  thoroughly  and  to 
give  me  his  opinion  concerning  the  probable  writer  and 
the  value  of  the  whole  record. 

"Dr.  Walther  at  once  took  a  lively  interest  in  the 
matter  and  proved  himself  a  most  helpful  and  generous 
assistant  in  clearing  up  the  mystery.  He  wrote:  'This 
record  is  of  the  highest  interest.  Its  contents  confirm 
throughout  the  other  accounts  of  Luther's  death,  which 
were  known  thus  far.  But  its  form  shows  that  these 
statements  are  not  based  on  any  of  the  other  accounts 
known  to  us,  but  are  entirely  original  and  independent. 
Its  importance  is  increased  by  the  fact  that  this  record 
was  evidently  not  intended  for  publication  or  for  any 
outsider,  but  is  simply  an  entry  in  a  postil,  a  book  writ- 


HANS  ALBRECHT'S  RECORD  393 

ten  by  Luther  himself,  and  printed  two  years  before. 

.     That   the   writer   was   an    eye-witness    must 

be  inferred  from  his  statements  concerning  the  funeral 

service,  as  he  gives the  contents  of  the 

sermon  of  Justus  Jonas  in  a  form  which  can  only  be 
explained  from  hearing  that  discourse  and  not  from 
reading  it  after  it  was  printed.'  " 

Dr.  Walther  also  deduces  from  internal  evidence  that 
the  writer  was  present  at  the  death  of  Luther,  that  he 
was  a  subject  of  the  Count  of  Mansfeld,  that  he  was 
not  a  scholar  but  a  professional  clerk.  Among  all  those 
who  were  present  the  only  one  who  could  have  written 
this  record  was  the  town  clerk  of  Eisleben,  Hans  Al- 
brecht.  This  deduction  was  confirmed  by  the  opinion 
of  other  experts  consulted  by  him. 

"Dr.  Walther  has  since  published  an  article  on  our 
discovery  in  the  Allgemeine  Lutherische  Kirchenzeitung 
which  contains  a  somewhat  fuller  statement  of  the 
points  made  in  his  letter,  and  dwells  particularly  on 
the  importance  of  this  document  over  against  the 
malicious  slanders  spread  by  Romanists  with  reference 
to  Luther's  death.  He  says:  This  discovery  would 
have  been  of  still  greater  importance  if  it  had  occurred 
twenty  years  ago  .  .  .  .'  It  overthrows  the  very 
foundation  of  the  claim  (made  in  1889)  that  the  official 
report  on  Luther's  death  was  not  a  statement  of  simple 
historical  facts,  but  an  artfully  constructed  document, 
prepared  for  the  purpose  of  hushing  up  and  contradict- 
ing certain  unpleasant  rumors  that  had  been  in  circula- 
tion concerning  the  death  of  the  great  reformer.  We 
know  that  even  before  the  'Historia'  was  written,  Justus 
Jonas,  only  about  an  hour  after  Luther's  death,  had 
sent  to  the  Elector  a  full  account  of  the  last  days  and 
the  dying  hours  of  Luther,  which  he  dictated  to  the 
Secretary  of  Count  Albrecht,  adding  in  an  autograph 


394  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

postscript  that  'none  of  them  had  been  able  in  their 
great  sorrow,  to  write  in  his  own  hand.' 

"But  even  though  this  letter  and  the  official  'Historia' 
afterwards  prepared  by  Jonas,  Coelius  and  Aurifaber 
should  have  been  influenced  by  a  natural  desire  to  repre- 
sent the  dying  scene  in  the  most  favorable  and  edifying 
form  for  the  public  eye,  no  such  design  can  possibly 
be  charged  to  this  account  of  the  town  clerk  of  Eisleben. 
It  was  written  under  the  first,  vivid  impression  of  the 
solemn  scenes  at  Luther's  death  bed  which  the  writer 
had  been  privileged  to  witness.  It  was  written  for 
no  other  eyes  except  his  own,  or  possibly  the  members 
of  his  family.  It  is  from  beginning  to  end  characterized 
by  a  striking  simplicity,  even  naivete.  There  is  no 
careful  choosing  of  words,  no  posing  whatsoever.  The 
man  who  had  been  present  at  the  last  hours  of  that 
illustrious  servant  of  God  and  who  had  listened  to  his 
last  words  of  prayer  and  confession,  felt  himself  ir- 
resistibly compelled  to  fix  the  memorable  scene  on  paper. 
So  he  sat  down  and  entered  into  a  book  of  Luther's 
own  sermons,  this  simple-hearted,  artless  account  of  the 
hero's  death,  which  will  henceforth  stand  as  an  original 
and  unassailable  record." 

This  discovery,  with  the  correspondence  and  writing 
of  articles  which  it  involved,  did  much  to  help  Dr. 
Spaeth  over  the  increasing  depression  and  physical  dis- 
comfort of  the  last  six  months  of  his  life.  To  lay 
his  hand  on  a  written  page,  on  which  another  hand 
had  rested  so  soon  after  it  had  ministered  to  Martin 
Luther  in  his  extremity — brought  him  into  closer  per- 
sonal contact  with  his  great  Chief  than  any  experience 
he  had  ever  had,  even  his  visit  to  the  Wartburg. 

During  the  winter  of  1909-19 10  he  enjoyed  most  of 
the  concerts  of  the  Philadelphia  orchestra  for  which 
he  had  a  season  ticket.  His  many  engagements  in  the 
city  were  kept  only  by  great  expenditure  of  time  and 


TWILIGHT  AND  EVENING  BELL  3q5 

strength,  owing  to  frequent  heavy  snows  and  drenching 
rains.  In  February  the  situation  was  further  compli- 
cated by  serious  rioting  due  to  a  strike  among  the  em- 
ployees of  the  trolley  lines,  forcing  him  to  walk  wher- 
ever he  could  not  take  a  train.  But  he  attended  the 
extra  session  of  Synod  in  January,  coming  home  "worn 
out;"  met  with  Conference  and  Committees,  and  with: 
the  Board  of  the  Deaconess  House  as  usual;  preached 
every  Sunday  except  one,  and  always  with  the  running 
comment  in  the  Line  a  Day,  "quite  exhausted,"  "very 
wretched,"  "weak  and  discouraged."  On  the  twelfth 
of  February  he  delivered  his  lecture  on  Bismarck  and 
Lincoln  for  the  German  Society.  In  spite  of  heavy,  wet 
snow  there  was  a  large  and  attentive  audience.  After 
the  lecture  an  informal  supper  was  served  in  the  base- 
ment, and  though  he  was  greatly  fatigued,  he  found  it 
"very  gemuethlich,"  and  held  out  well. 

As  the  spring  opened  Dr.  Spaeth  seemed  much  more 
like  himself.  He  had  returned  to  regular  treatment 
after  a  few  weeks  in  which  he  declined  taking  either 
medical  advice  or  the  remedies  already  prescribed,  and 
agreed  at  once  to  his  physician's  suggestion  that  he 
should  submit  to  a  slight  operation,  not  dangerous,  and 
which  had  shown  a  very  high  percentage  of  cures  in 
cases  similar  to  his.  The  meeting  of  the  Seminary 
Board  and  Commencement  were  over.  He  waited  for 
the  meeting  of  Synod,  and  for  the  Ordination  sermon 
which  he  had  promised  to  preach.  Then,  having  fin- 
ished his  work,  he  went  for  three  weeks  to  a  private 
hospital  for  the  new  treatment. 

He  seemed  almost  entirely  free  from  anxiety  about 
his  own  condition,  was  cheerful  with  his  many  visitors, 
and  only  rather  homesick  for  Mt.  Airy  when  June  came, 
and  he  was  still  a  prisoner  between  brick  walls.  He 
was  disappointed  that  he  could  not  welcome  Bishop 
von  Scheele  who  was  coming  to  attend  the  Jubilee  in 


396  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

Rock  Island,  and  who  was  to  have  been  his  guest.  Dr. 
Jacobs  said,  afterwards:  "In  his  weakness,  while  at 
the  hospital  last  June,  his  mind  was  occupied  with  the 
Jubilee  celebration  of  the  Swedish  Augustana  Synod, 
and  he  commissioned  me  to  carry  to  Rock  Island  the 
message  that  his  absence  on  that  occasion  was  one  of 
the  greatest  disappointments  of  his  life.  The  last  words 
that  I  remember  having  heard  from  his  lips  as  he  bade 
me  good-bye,  were  'For  the  sake  of  the  Church,' — the 
key-note  of  his  life."  He  had  also  been  appointed  dele- 
gate from  the  General  Council  to  the  Iowa  Synod,  and 
had  made  all  his  preparations  for  this  trip.  "The 
message  which  he  was  to  carry  was  to  him  holy  and 
weighty,  and  burned  in  his  heart.  Then,  at  the  last 
minute,  he  broke  down.  He  wrote  with  trembling  hand 
a  greeting  to  the  dear  Iowa  brethren,  and  I  was  present 
as  his  alternate,  when,  on  the  day  he  died,  this  message 
was  read  to  the  Synod."  (G.  C.  B.) 

On  the  fifteenth  of  June  he  was  allowed  to  come 
home.  After  resting  a  little  while  on  the  porch,  and 
feasting  his  eyes  on  his  favorite  European  linden  which 
was  just  coming  into  bloom,  he  sat  down  at  the  piano 
and  played  "Nun  danket  alle  Gott."  After  this  he 
played  every  day,  "Brich  herein  Suesser  Schein,  Selger 
Ewigkeit."  For  a  few  happy  days  he  renewed  in  some 
measure,  his  usual  vacation  routine,  spending  much  of 
his  time  on  the  upper  porch  where  he  could  lie  on  the 
couch  and  watch  the  birds  splashing  in  their  shallow 
bathing  dishes.  Fie  intended  to  preach  on  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  June,  and  when  the  weather  became  so  op- 
pressive that  he  was  convinced  that  this  would  be  im- 
prudent, he  still  clung  to  his  intention  to  be  present  at 
the  service  on  that  Sunday.  To  one  of  his  sons  he 
wrote,  June  21st,  "Here  I  am,  happy  to  be  at  home 
again.  Last  Wednesday  Mrs.  B.  brought  me  out  from 
the  hospital  in  the  automobile, — a  lovely  trip  through 


TURNING   HOME  397 

the  park.  O  how  thankful  I  was  for  sunshine  and 
forest  green,  for  song  of  birds  and  fragrance  of  flowers, 
after  the  world  had  been  for  three  long  weeks,  literally 
boarded  up  from  me.  ...  I  hope  to  venture  into 
my  pulpit  again  on  Sunday.  In  any  case  I  should  like 
to  go  in  to  church."  Once  he  went  into  the  city  to 
see  his  physician,  and  came  home  jubilant,  with  permis- 
sion to  go  to  the  shore  whenever  he  chose. 

On  Saturday  morning,  June  25th,  he  rose  as  usual, 
and  after  breakfast  spent  an  hour  in  the  garden  with 
his  wife  and  eldest  son.  He  was  interested  in  their 
conversation  but  took  little  part  in  it,  and  presently 
went  into  the  house  to  lie  down.  His  son,  who  was 
obliged  to  take  the  next  train  to  Princeton,  left  him 
apparently  comfortable,  but  in  less  than  an  hour  he 
was  in  such  pain  that  the  family  physician,  Dr.  Car- 
michael,  was  hastily  summoned.  He  scarcely  left  the 
house  all  day,  but  not  having  treated  Dr.  Spaeth  him- 
self, telephoned  to  the  hospital  for  information  and 
suggestion,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  resident  physician 
there  relieved  him  for  a  few  hours.  About  six  o'clock 
Dr.  Thomas  was  called  in  consultation.  Taking  Dr. 
Spaeth's  hand  he  said:  "Do  you  know  me  Doctor?" 
and  the  answer  came  in  a  full,  natural  voice,  and  with 
a  humorous  smile:  "Why,  yes;  it  is  Dr.  Thomas.  All 
the  medical  faculty  of  Mt.  Airy  has  come  to  me!" 
These  were  his  last  words,  except  a  half  conscious  ex- 
clamation, "Ach  Gott !"  For  another  hour  he  lay  quiet, 
but  took  the  medicine  which  Mrs.  Spaeth  gave  him  at 
regular  intervals.  Then  he  lifted  himself  with  a  startled 
look,  placed  both  hands  on  her  shoulders,  stood  upright 
for  a  moment, — sank  back,  and  was  gone. 


398  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

THE  FUNERAL  SERVICES 

Dr.  Spaeth's  funeral  took  place  on  Thursday,  June 
30th.  It  was  the  wish  of  his  family,  in  accordance 
with  what  was  always  his  own  preference  and  judgment, 
that  only  the  liturgy  of  the  Kirchenbuch  should  be  used. 
For  three  hours  the  body  lay  in  state  in  St.  Johannis, 
attended  by  a  guard  of  honor  appointed  from  the 
Church  Council,  after  which  the  coffin  was  closed.  The 
service  was  conducted  by  Pastor  Bielinski,  and  Pro- 
fessors Fry  and  Spieker.  The  choir  sang  Ecce  quomodo 
moritur  Justus,  and  the  Deaconesses,  "Brich  herein 
Suesser  Schein."  Two  hymns  were  appointed  for  the 
congregation:  "Was  Gott  thut  das  ist  wohlgethan,"  and 
"Jerusalem  du  hochgebaute  Stadt,"  one  of  Dr.  Spaeth's 
favorite  chorales.  A  great  number  of  pastors  were 
present,  and  the  Directors  of  the  Deaconess  House  as 
well  as  those  of  the  Seminary  appeared  in  a  body.  The 
simplicity  and  dignity  of  the  whole  service  made  a 
deep  impression. 

Dr.  Spaeth  was  greatly  beloved  in  the  congregation 
which  he  had  served  for  more  than  forty  years.  The 
funeral  service  which  in  its  form  was  largely  his  work, 
sung  by  those  who  had  learned  it  under  his  direction, 
was  "solemn  witness  to  the  manner  in  which  he  had 
stamped  his  culture,  his  spirituality  and  the  rich  evan- 
gelical character  of  his  ministry  on  the  congregation 
which  he  had  created,  and  nurtured  through  all  these 
years.  'He  being  dead  yet  speaketh,'  and  his  influence 
and  work  will  abide."     (Lutheran.) 


w 

^M 

i 

vjI 

I^BBE*  ' ''y^| 

1 

J.& 


c.  1906. 


The  Memorial  Service 

On  All  Saints'  Day,  November  ist,  the  Memorial 
service  announced  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  funeral, 
took  place.  Pastor  Bielinski  conducted  the  Vespers  and 
Pastor  Steimle  read  the  Lessons.  During  the  meeting 
of  Synod  Pastor  Steimle  had  been  invited  by  Dr.  Spaeth 
to  preach  for  him  on  Trinity  Sunday, — the  last  Sunday 
on  which  he  attended  service,  sitting  in  his  own  pew 
which  he  almost  never  did.  On  Whitsunday  he  had 
preached  for  the  last  time  in  St.  Johannis.  His  theme 
was,  the  Signs  of  Pentecost  in  the  Heart.  I.  A  joy 
in  God's  Word.  2.  Love  to  Jesus.  3.  That  peace  which 
passeth  understanding. 

"The  Memorial  Service  was  not  intended  to  be  a 
purely  congregational  affair,  nor  as  the  affair  of  the 
Theological  Seminary  with  whose  work  and  mission  he 
was  so  closely  identified  for  many  years.  Quite 
naturally  it  had  more  of  a  personal  than  an  ecclesiasti- 
cal character.  St.  Johannis  Church  was  filled  with  a 
wide  circle  of  Dr.  Spaeth's  friends  and  admirers  in  and 
around  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  so  well 
known  and  so  much  beloved,  and  from  beyond.  The 
chancel  was  simply  decorated  with  plants  and  flowers, 
and  the  pulpit  which  bore  to  thousands  the  message  of 
the  Gospel  in  its  truth  and  purity,  if  ever  it  was  pro- 
claimed in  America,  was  not  occupied  during  the  ser- 
vice. Through  that  mute  pulpit,  as  well  as  through 
the  hymns  that  bore  the  impress  of  his  master-mind, 
Dr.  Spaeth  spoke  with  an  eloquence  and  power  that 
evening  which  those  who  were  present  alone  could 
feel."  (Lutheran.) 

The  Liturgy  for  the  Vesper  Service  was  used  in 
German  throughout.  The  hymns  for  the  congregation 
were  sung  either  in  German  or  English.  After  an 
organ  prelude  the  choir  sang  Dr.  Spaeth's  translation 
of  Crossing  the  Bar. 

399 


400  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

Die  Sonne  sinkt,  es  glaenzt  der  Abendstern, 

Hell  ruft  mich's  von  der  Hoeh'! 
Fein  stille  haett  ich's  an  der  Brandung  gem, 

Wenn  ich  nun  geh'  zur  See; 
Nicht  Schaum  und  Brausen :    eine  Fluth,  glattvoll, 

Die  wie  im  Schlaf  hinfaehrt. 
Wenn  das,  was  auf  aus  tiefster  Tiefe  quoll, 

Heim   wieder  kehrt. 

Zwielicht  und  Abendglockenschlag, 

Dann  Dunkel  rings  umher! 
Nur  keinen  Abschied  mir  mit  Leid  und  Klag 

Zur  Fahrt  auf's  Meer ! 
Traegt  auch  die  Fluth  aus  dieser  Enge  hier 

In  weite  Fern'  mich  hin: 
Dort  schaut  mein  Lootse  Aug  in  Auge  mir, 

Wenn  ich  hinueber  bin. 

This  was  immediately  followed  by  "Abide  with  Me," 
sung  by  the  congregation.  The  Twenty-third  Psalm 
was  used,  with  the  Antiphone,  Befiel  dem  Herrn  deine 
Wege  und  hoffe  auf  Ihn.  The  Lessons  were  Hebrews 
ii  :  1-6;  8-10;  13-16,  and  Revelations  2:  1-3.  3:  7, 
8,  10-13,  followed  by  the  Responsory,  Herr,  Dein  Wort 
bleibt  ewiglich. 

The  first  English  address  was  by  Dr.  Jacobs,  on  Dr. 
Spaeth  the  Lutheran  and  Leader  in  the  Church.  The 
hymn  "Rock  of  Ages"  followed.  After  Dr.  Berke- 
meier's  German  address  on  Dr.  Spaeth  the  German,  and 
The  Deaconess  Cause,  the  choir  sang  Loehe's  Hymn, 
"O  Gottes  Sohn,"  to  the  melody  composed  by  Dr. 
Spaeth.  The  second  English  address  was  by  Judge 
Staake  on  Dr.  Spaeth  the  American  Citizen.  After  this 
the  choir  gave  two  verses  of  "Jerusalem  du  hochgebaute 
Stadt"  in  a  very  beautiful  figurated  setting,  and  the 
congregation  sang  the  two  closing  verses  in  unison. 
The    Vesper    Service    concluded    with    three    Collects. 

1.  For  Apostles'  Days,  the  second  in  the  Kirchenbuch. 

2.  For  Cantate.     3.  For  Peace. 


THE  MEMORIAL  SERVICE  401 

FROM    DR.    JACOBS'    ADDRESS 

No  one  who  knew  Dr.  Spaeth  intimately  could  be 
impressed  otherwise  than  by  the  fact  that,  whatever 
other  graces  of  character  he  possessed,  his  religious  life 
was  the  very  centre  of  all  his  thought  and  activity.  It 
was  not  a  side-matter,  supplementing  other  attainments, 
or  one  department,  out  of  many  parallel  fields  that  were 
cultivated.  It  was  dominant  and  all  pervasive.  It  fixed 
his  standards;  it  colored  all  his  views;  it  enriched  all 
his  natural  gifts;  it  was  the  spring  of  his  many-sided 

culture That  religious  life  had  also  a 

centre,  and  that  was  his  clear  apprehension  of  the  re- 
velation which  God  has  made  in  Christ,  and  the  com- 
plete   surrender    of   his   will   to    the    contents   of    that 
revelation,  especially  as  it  in  turn  centres  around  the 
Person  and  Work  of  his  Redeemer.     It  was  the  great 
characteristic  of  his  preaching  that  his  sermons  were 
all  variations  of  one  great  theme,  and  that  theme  was 
Christ— an  exhaustless  theme,   treated  with  invariable 
freshness  both  with  his  voice  and  with  his  pen.     .     .     . 
His  charm  as  a  public  speaker  lay  in  his  simplicity  and 
naturalness.     Eloquence  with  him  was  not  the  result  of 
art  or  labored  effort.     His  style  had  been  formed  on 
classical  models,  enriched  by  wide  reading  of  the  very 
best  literature,  and  rendered  flexible  and  responsive  to 
all  demands  by  his  familiarity  with  other  languages.     . 
...     His  audience  he  read  like  a  book,  and  knew 
where  and  when  to  touch  it.     The   sympathy  of  his 
hearers  awakened  his  own,  and  they  reacted  on  each 
other.    On  some  great  occasion  his  words  swept  through 
his  audience  like  a  storm  through  the  forest,  bending 
everything  before  its  onset.     Nevertheless,  this  was  a 
power  that  was  mostly  held  in  restraint.     He  relied  for 
the  effect  of  his  preaching  not  upon  the  eloquence  of 
the  preacher,  but  upon  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 


402  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

carrying  conviction  by  the  simple  presentation  of  the 
truth;  and  yet,  with  the  truth  in  his  mind  and  heart, 
his  deep  conviction,  his  transparent  sincerity  and  his 
warm  sympathies  made  his  eloquence  his  habitual  mode 

of   speech Next  to   his   Bible   and  his 

Kirchenbuch,  he  lived  in  the  writings  of  the  great  Saxon 
Reformer.  He  was  familiar  with  the  chief  treatises  of 
Luther,  and,  above  and  almost  to  the  exclusion  of  other 
preachers,   found  in  Luther's  sermons  the  best  studies 

for  those  preparing  for  the  pulpit Luther's 

life  and  death,  Luther's  words  and  deeds,  Luther's 
hymns  and  prayers,  Luther's  conflicts  and  victories  were 
ever  in  his  heart  and  mind.  Not  in  the  ponderous  tomes 
of  the  dogmaticians,  not  in  the  minute  and  acute  distinc- 
tions of  the  schools,  but  in  the  intensely  practical  ex- 
positions of  the  Gospel  by  the  great  Wittenberg  prophet, 
he  found  constant  material  for  the  support  of  the  faith 
of  his  childhood,  and  for  the  guidance  of  those  over 

whom  he  stood  as  teacher  and  leader 

Coming  to  America  at  a  critical  time  for  both  State 
and  Church  he  was  able  to  render  distinguished  service 
almost  from  his  first  appearance  on  these  shores.  Men 
were  ready  to  do  and  dare  as  they  had  never  done 
before.  He  had  come,  not  directly  from  Germany,  but, 
after  an  important  period  of  preparation  in  Scotland, 
with  its  opportunities  for  the  study  of  a  type  of  re- 
ligious life  different  from  that  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
and  for  acquaintance  with  the  English  language  as  a 
medium  of  theological  discussion.  He  had  caught 
something  of  the  enthusiasm  and  devotion  and  sublime 
courage,  that  had  founded  the  Free  Church,  and 
prompted  its  heroic  deeds,  and  which  he  himself  desig- 
nates as  "one  of  the  greatest  ecclesiastical  movements 
of  the  nineteenth  century."  ....  Was  it  won- 
derful then,  that  he  was  at  once  ready  to  participate  with 
all  his  heart  and  soul  in  the  movement  that  had  just 


THE   MEMORIAL  SERVICE  403 

begun,  to  lay  anew  the  foundations  of  his  beloved 
Church  in  America,  or  that,  stimulated  by  the  new 
atmosphere  which  he  breathed,  and  freed  from  the  re- 
straints that  would  have  suppressed  his  progress  in  an 
older  land,  only  a  few  years  elapsed  until  he  was 
recognized  as  a  leader?  To  maintain  in  its  purity  that 
faith  which  was  given  by  the  Reformation,  and  to  save 
to  this  pure  faith  and  build  up  in  this  pure  faith  the 
scattered  members  of  our  Church,  was  a  problem  to 
which  he  devoted  the  main  strength  of  his  life.  .  .  . 
If  the  Lutheran  Church  ever  had  a  loyal  son;  if  the 
Lutheran  Church  of  America  ever  had  a  faithful  ser- 
vant; if  the  General  Council  ever  had  a  zealous  advo- 
cate, and  an  able  expounder  and  defender  of  its  prin- 
ciples, it  was  this  beloved  and  revered  teacher  and 
pastor,  this  warm-hearted  and  cherished  friend  and  ad- 
viser, whose  testimony  on  earth  ended  on  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  delivery  of  the  Augsburg  Confession,  and 
whose  last  official  act,  as  Chairman  of  the  Faculty  of 
our  Seminary,  was  to  read  the  Collect  for  Peace,  "that 
we  being  delivered  from  fear  of  our  enemies,  may  pass 
our  time  in  rest  and  quietness."  Into  that  peace  he  has 
entered.    That  rest  for  which  he  prayed,  he  has  attained. 

FROM   DR.    BERKEMEIER'S  ADDRESS 

The  teachers  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firm- 
ament; and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as 
the  stars  for  ever  and  ever.    Daniel  12 :  3. 

In  part  this  promise  was  fulfilled  even  upon  earth. 
The  glory  of  heaven  shone  about  him  already  here 
below,  and  impressed  upon  his  whole  nature  that  stamp 
of  the  ideal,  which  appealed  to  us  in  his  every  feature 
and  word.  Dr.  Spaeth  was  a  handsome  man.  He 
belonged  to  God's  nobility,  he  was  an  aristocrat  in  the 
best  sense.  He  held  his  head  boldly  like  a  lion.  His 
high,  full  brow  showed  the  profound  thinker.     His  eyes 


404  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

had  a  curious  fashion  of  suddenly  sparkling  and  blazing 
when  he  was  roused.  And  at  the  same  time  there  was 
an  aesthetic  quality  in  his  character,  which  transformed 
and  glorified  his- personality. 

If  we  come  nearer  to  this  personality  we  find  that 
Dr.  Spaeth  was  German  to  the  core.  Especially  by  his 
thorough  study  of  Luther,  by  his  spiritual  fellowship 
with  this  most  German  of  all  Germans  he  entered  deeply 
into  German  ways  and  Germanic  character,  and  was  in 
turn  permeated  by  them  as  few  have  been.  And  as 
the  wine  on  the  Rhine  has  a  different  aroma  from  that 
on  the  Neckar,  so  he  never  disclaimed  the  "gemuethlich" 
temperament  of  the  Wuerttemberger ;  even  its  dialect 
betrayed  itself  in  his  speech.  This  was  always  remark- 
able to  me,  for  in  his  outward  life  Dr.  Spaeth  was  a 
cosmopolitan.  He  had  left  home  as  a  young  man;  he 
had  moved  in  the  highest  circles  of  Scotland;  in  this 
new  world  he  had  become  practically  an  American;  he 
had  mastered  the  English  language,  as,  probably,  no 
other  German  had  done,  with  the  exception  of  Carl 
Schurz.  And  yet,  with  it  all  he  remained  absolutely 
German,  and  though  it  is  true  that  he  adapted  himself 
to  American  circumstances,  and  American  ways,  yet 
still  more  did  he  impress  his  German  character  on  his 
surroundings  in  the  new  world, — he  was  not  made  by 
environment,  but  he  made  environment.  He  was  the 
ideal  German  American. 


FROM  JUDGE  STAAKE  S  ADDRESS 

After  giving  a  very  clear  definition  of  an  American 
citizen,  and  after  declaring  how  fully  this  definition 
applied  to  Dr.  Spaeth,  Judge  Staake  continued:  His 
loyalty  to  his  adopted  country  never  was  and  never 
could  be  questioned ;  his  intense  and  devoted  interest  in 
its   continued   well-being  was  always   evident,   and   by 


THE  MEMORIAL  SERVICE  405 

word  and  example,  by  intelligent  labors  in  many  fields, 
by  his  utterances  from  the  pulpit  and  platform,  by  his 
instructions  in  the  Church  and  Theological  Seminary, 

he  encouraged  a  love  of  God  and  of  Country 

I  believe  no  German,  save  possibly  the  eminent  Carl 
Schurz,  exercised  in  his  day  a  more  wholesome  and 
helpful    influence    among    his    German    fellow    citizens 

especially,  than  did  Dr.  Spaeth He  cared 

nothing  for  mere  worldly  rank  or  power,  but  cared 
everything  for  honest,  honorable  and  consecrated  service 

to  God  and  man He  believed  that  the 

American  people,  under  the  providence  of  Almighty  God, 
had  indeed  a  goodly  heritage  of  inestimable  benefits, 
which  should  be  preserved  and  be  transmitted  unim- 
paired, untarnished  and  undiminished  as  a  blessing  to 
future  generations.  Dr.  Spaeth  was  indeed  a  great 
and  good  man,  a  loyal  citizen,  a  devoted  friend,  a  born 
leader  of  men;  and  although  English  was  an  acquired 
tongue  for  him,  few  men  could  surpass  him  in  using  it 
as  the  expression  of  a  rich  mind,  a  staunch  character 
and  a  winning  personality. 

RESOLUTIONS  AND  PERSONAL  TRIBUTES 

The  Synod  of  Pennsylvania,  at  a  special  meeting 
held  February  14,  191 1,  Resolved,  That  we  record  with 
chastened  hearts  the  removal  to  the  Church  triumphant, 
of  our  great  leader,  the  Rev.  A.  Spaeth,  D.  D.,  LL.D., 
former  President  of  this  body  and  of  the  General 
Council,  Professor  in  our  Seminary  and  Chairman  of 
its  Faculty,  whose  voice  was  equally  potent  in  the 
pulpit,  the  classroom,  and  Synodical  assembly;  whose 
labors  in  the  departments  of  Liturgies,  Church  music 
and  the  Female  Diaconate  were  epochal,  and  whose 
depth  of  learning,  wide  culture,  wise  counsel  and  large 
experience  proved  him  the  guiding  spirit  in  many  im- 


406  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

portant  Boards  and  Committees  of  the  Church.  Thor- 
oughly familiar  with  the  history  and  the  aspirations  of 
our  Church  on  two  continents,  and  welcomed  in  the 
councils  of  wise  leadership  on  both,  he  was  preeminently 
the  living  bond  of  the  Church  in  America  with  the 
Church  in  Europe,  a  true  representative  of  universal 
Lutheranism,  who  contended  earnestly  for  the  faith 
once  delivered  to  the  saints.  The  affections  of  a  warm 
and  generous  nature  followed  his  students  throughout 
life,  and  the  impress  of  his  personality  will  long  be  felt 
in  the  whole  Church,  through  the  labors  of  those  who 
were  privileged  to  come  under  the  sphere  of  his  in- 
fluence and  example.  Recognizing  in  humble  gratitude 
what  God  has  given  to  His  Church  through  the  life 
of  Dr.  Spaeth,  we  set  ourselves  to  carry  on  the  work 
of  the  kingdom  in  the  spirit  of  our  fallen  leader. 

In  the  General  Council.  Since  the  days  of  Dr. 
Krauth,  Dr.  Spaeth  stood  out  as  the  great  leader  of 
Confessional  Lutheranism  in  the  General  Council,  the 
staunchest  defender  of  her  fundamental  principles.  The 
Church  has  lost  a  leader  who  loved  and  was  loyal  to 
his  German  blood,  and  to  whom  all  sections  of  our 
German  Church  looked  for  guidance  and  sympathy.  At 
the  same  time  the  English  Church  has  lost  a  champion 
who  realized  that  in  that  tongue  lies  the  future  of  the 
Church  in  this  country,  for  which  he  gave  forty-seven 
years  of  earnest  and  efficient  service  as  one  of  her 
eloquent  ministers,  learned  professors  and  efficient 
leaders.     (  Lutheran. ) 

In  the  Seminary  "he  was  not  only  Chairman  of  the 
Faculty,  but  the  one  to  whom  the  other  professors 
looked  for  safe  counsel  whenever  difficult  questions 
arose.  He  was  the  bond  of  union  between  the  first 
and  the  present  Faculty.  He  was  so  thoroughly  in- 
formed on  all  subjects,  and  so  accurate  in  his  use  of 
the  English  language  as  well  as  of  his  native  German, 


PERSONAL  TRIBUTES  407 

that  he  was  fitted  to  act  as  a  supply  for  any  professor, 
in  any  branch  of  theological  instruction,  whenever  oc- 
casion might  arise  for  this  service."  (J.  F.) 

As  Preacher.  "That  Dr.  Spaeth  was  a  highly  en- 
dowed preacher  of  the  Gospel  no  one  will  deny  who 
heard  him  or  knew  him.  Especially  his  brethren  in  the 
ministry  can  never  forget  those  sermons  which  he  used 
to  preach  at  Conference  or  Synod.  Here  he  gave  his 
best,  because  as  a  steward  of  the  mysteries  of  God  he 
brought  forth  things  new  and  old  out  of  the  rich 
treasure  of  his  experience,  and  knew  how  to  use  his 
own  gifts  and  his  full  assurance  of  faith  to  fire  the 
hearts  of  his  clerical  brethren  for  their  noble  calling  as 
ministers  of  the  Word.  .  .  .  It  is  not  easy  to  say 
where  the  secret  of  his  mode  of  preaching  lay.  Dr. 
Spaeth  was  undoubtedly  a  born  orator,  with  rich  natural 
gifts  at  his  command.  But  that  alone  does  not  explain 
the  impression  made  by  his  sermons,  on  many  hearers. 
Highly  as  we  may  value  his  natural  gifts,  he  was  not 
a  popular  preacher  in  the  ordinary  sense.  It  was  an 
aesthetic  delight  to  listen  to  him,  but  his  words  ap- 
pealed more  to  cultivated  hearers  than  to  the  common 
people.  The  chief  excellence  of  his  sermons  was  not 
in  their  form  but  in  their  contents,  in  the  thoroughly 
evangelical  character  which  they  bore.  They  were 
always  drawn  from  the  depths  of  the  Gospel,  fervent 
witnesses  to  a  living  faith  in  the  crucified  and  risen 
Christ.  They  centred  in  the  wonderful  works  of  God, 
which  were  done  for  our  redemption,  and  on  which 

our  faith  stands  firm The  faith  of  Luther 

and  of  our  Lutheran  fathers  satisfied  him,  and  per- 
meated his  whole  being.  As  to  Luther  so  also  to  him 
the  Scriptures  were  the  Word  of  God,  and  as  such  the 
test  of  all  doctrine,  the  living  spring  of  all  knowledge, 
the  source  of  all  spiritual  life.  And  as  for  Luther  so 
also  for  him,  Christ  who  was  crucified  and  rose  again, 


4o8  THE  YEARS  OF  COMPLETION 

was  the  centre  of  the  Scriptures,  the  glorious  sun,  from 
which  all  light  and  life  proceed."  (H.  O.) 

As  Theologian.  "In  this  age  of  specialists  gone 
mad,  he  stood  out  in  sublime  contrast  as  the  all-round, 
well-poised,  broad  and  profound  Theologian  and  man 
of  culture.  As  a  preacher,  the  Church  will  look  far  and 
wide  to  find  another  like  him.  He  lived  in  the  Gospel 
as  his  natural,  native  element,  and  had  an  evangelical 
intuition  and  insight  that  were  as  rare  as  they  were 

remarkable As   a   churchman   he   will   be 

missed  on  the  floor  of  Synod  and  Council  as  very  few 
have  ever  been.  That  fine  Teutonic  face  and  figure  be- 
hind which  there  dwelt  a  powerful  personality,  was  in 
itself  an  inspiration  and  benediction  and  made  one 
feel  that  the  Church's  doctrinal  interests  were  in  safe 

hands There  was  much  in  Dr.  Spaeth  that 

reminds  one  of  Martin  Luther: — first,  a  passionate  love 
for  the  Truth;  second,  an  intense  devotion  to  it  wher- 
ever it  might  lead;  third,  a  sublime  disregard  of  what 
others  might  think  or  say  when  the  Truth  needed  de- 
fense; fourth,  a  sincerity,  frankness,  and  rugged  candor 
that  compelled  admiration  even  where  it  hit  hardest; 
fifth,  a  holy  horror  for  expediency  where  principle  was 
involved.  Dr.  Spaeth  would  have  made  a  poor  ecclesi- 
astical politician,  and  to  his  lasting  honor  be  it  said." 
(Lutheran.) 

"Of  all  the  qualities  in  the  personality  of  Dr.  Spaeth, 
there  were  two  which,  more  than  others,  fashioned  and 
raised  him  to  be  the  pillar  of  the  Lutheran  Church  that 
he  was  for  many  years.  The  first  of  these  qualities 
was  sound  knowledge  and  sober  judgment  as  the  basis 
of  all  his  convictions;  and  the  other  was  the  elemental 
strength  which  these  convictions  gave  to  his  faith,  and 
the  usually  simple,  but  solid  and  hearty  and  frequently 
sublime  defense  of  them,  which  he  made  in  all  times 


PERSONAL  TRIBUTES  4P9 

of  crisis  and  on  all  occasions  when  there  was  need  of 
warfare. 

"Dr.  Spaeth  was  always  right  in  his  facts.  He  was 
always  clear  and  simple  in  their  presentation.  The 
power  to  measure  and  weigh  things  and  to  rate  them 
at  their  pure  objective  value,  caused  him  to  be  ever 
firmly  seated  on  a  true  foundation,  and  almost  never 
to  be  tempted  into  an  extreme — or  into  a  secondary,  still 

less  into  a  temporizing — position  in  doctrine 

It  was  this  sure  knowledge,  wrought  into  every  fibre 
of  his  mental  experience,  which  caused  him  to  make 
fewer  mistakes,  to  have  less  need  of  modifying  a  posi- 
tion he  took,  within  the  doctrinal  limits  in  which  his 
mind  moved  as  a  master,  than  most  of  the  theologians 
even  of  the  sober  Lutheran  Church  in  America.  .  .  . 
Thus,  by  nature,  faith,  attainment  and  position,  he  came 
gradually  to  be  the  personality  who  represented  our 
Lutheran  Church  in  its  best  estate  to  the  Fatherland, 
and  who  stood  for  our  most  solid  types  in  doctrine, 
cultus,  pastoral  practice  and  polity."  (T.  E.  S.,  Review, 
July,  1910.) 


DR.  SPAETH'S  PUBLICATIONS 

In  compiling  and  verifying  this  list  the  Editor  has  received 
valuable  aid  from  Rev.  E.  P.  H.  Pfatteicher  and  others.  The 
facilities  of  the  Krauth  Memorial  Library  were  placed  at  her  ser- 
vice for  the  necessary  research,  all  of  which  favors  are  gratefully 
acknowledged. 

1864.  Translation  of  Dr.  C.  P.  Krauth's  Address  at  the  Installation 
of  the  First  Faculty  of  the  Philadelphia  Seminary.  Luthe- 
rische  Zeitschrift,  December  10th. 
1864-1879.  Other  articles  in  the  Lutherische  Zeitschrift:  1864.  An- 
trittspredigt  in  Zion's  (John  21:  15-17),  Nov.  12.-1865.  Wem 
bauen  wir  unsere  Kirche?— 1866.  Die  erste  Weihnachtspredigt, 
Jan.  13.— Das  Evangelium  in  Italien,  Feb.  10.— Jamaica,  Feb. 
24.— Gethsemane,  eine  Betrachtung,  largely  based  on  Lange 
and  Stier,  Mar.  24.— Die  Cholera  u.  die  Mission,  Apr.  21.— 
Die  Suedsee  Inseln,  transl.,  May  5.— Deine  eigene  Lebensbe- 
schreibung,  Oct.  6.— Historische  Erinnerungen  aus  Sachsen,  Dec. 
15.— Der  oberflaechliche  Unglaube,  transl.,  Dec.  15.— 1867.  Die 
wahre  Einigkeit  u.  die  rechte  Vereinigung.  3  articles  trans- 
lated from  Prof.  Loy,  Jan.  19,  26,  Feb.  2.-Ein  Wort  ueber 
Juenglingsvereine,  Mar.  2.— Die  Sonntagschule,  7  articles, 
Apr.  20,  May  4,  18,  June  22,  29,  Aug.  17,  24.— Fragen  ueber 
die  Sonntags-Evangelien  fuer  die  Sonntagschule,  Pfingsten, 
May  25.  These  Questions  were  continued  under  the  general 
heading:  Der  Sonntagschullehrer,  until  Sept.  12,  1868.— Dr. 
Mann's  Empfang  in  Philadelphia,  Oct.  5--Der  3iste  October 
in  Philadelphia,  Dec.  7,  I4-— 1868.  Der  Sonntagschullehrer,  4 
articles;  Wer  soil  es  sein?  Jan.  11,  18.  Gebet  eines  Lehrers 
vor  der  Schule,  Jan.  25.  Wie  soil  man's  werden?  Feb.  29.— 
Bestrafung  unartiger  Kinder,  Mar.  21.— Einweihung  der 
deutsch.  luth.  St.  Johannis  Kirche  in  Philadelphia,  June  6.— 
Eine  Stimme  aus  Schottland  ueber  christliche  Jugenderziehung, 
July  4.— Was  uns  die  Voegel  predigen,  Kinderpredigt,  Aug.  1. 
—Die  Furcht  des  Herrn,  K.  predigt,  Nov.  7.— Die  Besprechung 
der  Vier  Punkte  in  der  Allgem.  Kirchenversammlung  zu 
Pittsburgh,  Dec.  12.— 1869.  New  Series  of  Questions  for  the 
Sunday  School:  Die  Geschichte  der  Erzvaeter,  January  to 
March.— Stimmrecht  u.  Abendmahlsbesuch  (reply  to  12  Theses 
411 


412  LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS 

of  Emil  Riecke),  Feb.  20. — Judenmission  in  der  Schottischen 
Kirche,  June  26. — Die  presb.  Kirche  u.  die  Deutschen  in 
Amerika,  June  26. — Dr.  Duff  u.  der  Herzog  von  Somerset, 
July  3. — Die  Ordnung  bei  gottesdienstlichen  Versammlungen, 
July  10. — Allerlei  Baueme,  ein  Familien-Gespraech  unter  dem 
Christbaum,  Dec.  11. — 1870.  Drei  Punkte  ueber  die  Ordnung 
bei  gottesdienstlichen  Versammlungen,  May  28. — Sieben  Thesen 
ueber  Zweck  u.  Einrichtung  lutherischer  Sonntagschulen. 
Read  at  the  Free  Conference  in  Allentown,  May  17,  18. 
Printed  again  in  1875. — 1871.  Review  of  "Andachtsbuch  fuer 
Sonntagschulen  der  Neuen  Kirche"  (Swedenborgian),  Feb.  4. 
— Review  of  the  "Order  of  Service  for  Ev.  Luth.  Congrega- 
tions, or  the  Church  Book  Explained  in  Questions  and  An- 
swers," by  Rev.  J.  Fry,  Mar.  25. — Eine  neue  amer.  Patent- 
Maschine  fuer  Sonntag  Schulen,  Apr.  1. — Unsre  schwedischen 
Glaubensgenossen  in  Chicago,  Nov.  11. — 1873.  Andere  "Gedan- 
ken  ueber  den  Christbaum  in  den  luth.  Kirchen,"  signed  Pastor 
A.  S.  (A  reply  to  "Gedanken,"  etc.,  signed  Dr.  A.  S.) 
Feb.  1. — 1874.  Deutsches  Gesang-und  Choral  Buch  (Schaff), 
Oct.  3. — 1875.  Das  geistliche  Volkslied,  May  15. — Ein  Sonntag 
in  Brooklyn,  July  17. — Answer  to  Questions  about  new 
Kirchenbuch,  Sept.  18. — "Das  Sonntagschulbuch"  (Report  of 
A.  S.  as  Chairman  of  Committee),  Dec.  18. — 1876.  Translation 
of  Whittier's  Centennial  Hymn,  May  27.  Reprinted  with 
music,  July  8. — Von  der  Weltausstellung  in  Philadelphia,  June 
3. — Was  ist  in  Bethlehem  (Pa.)  geschehen,  Dec.  9. — 1877.  Ein 
Urtheil  ueber  das  S.  S.  Buch,  Mar.  3. — 1879.  Das  Predigen  in 
Kirchen  von  andersglaeubigen  Benennungen,  Nov.   15. 

1865.  Predigt :     Abraham  Lincoln,  pp.  16.     Reprinted  1909. 
1865-1867.  Predigten  in  Dr.  Schaff's  Evangelische  Zeugnisse. 

1866.  Festgruss  z.  Zion's  Jubilaeum,  Dr.  Mann  and  A.  S.  Pub.  by 
C.  W.  Widmaier. 

1867.  Der  Hausgottesdienst.  Eine  Abhandlung  fuer  die  Erste 
District  Conference,  etc.  Printed  in  Germantown  Orphans' 
Home. 

1868-1869.  Edited  Sonntagschul  Lehrer  und  Eltemfreund.  (Brobst.) 
1869-1873.  Articles  in  Brobst's  Theol.  Monatsheft.  1869.  Thesen 
ueber  das  Predigtamt,  transl.  from  C.  P.  K,  June. — 1870.  "Zur 
Quelle!"  Address  at  Seminary  Commencement,  June. — 
Bemerkungen  zum  Probedruck  des  Gesangbuchs  fuer  Gemeinde 
ev.  luth.  Bekenntnisses,  September. — 1871.  Die  anglikanische 
Kirche,  transl.  from  preface  to  the  Conservative  Reformation, 


LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS  4*3 

November.— 1873.  Antrittsrede  bei  Uebernahme  des  Professur 
am  Th.  Seminar  in  Philadelphia,  September. 
1869-1889.  Contributed  regularly  to  the  Jugendfreund.  Editor  from 
1877  to  1889.  1869.  Kinderpredigten,  (in  book  form  1871, 
Brosamen,  etc.) — Miscellaneous  articles,  verses  and  music, 
rarely  signed. — 1878.  Gespraech  zur  Passionzeit,  April. — Advents- 
gespraech,  November. — 1879.  Der  kleine  Philipp  u.  sein  Engel, 
April.— Reisebrief,  October.— 1879-1880.  Ein  gueldenes  A.  B. 
C.  Series  of  Kinderpredigten.— 1880.  Vom  Meeresstrand, 
August. — Unterm  Christbaum,  Weihnachtsgespraech,  Decem- 
ber.— 1 882-1883.  Von  Lexington  nach  Yorktown,  in  kunstlosen 
Reimen;  verses  adapted  from  a  Cantata  that  appeared  after 
the  Franco-Prussian  War.— 1883.  Dr.  Charles  Porterfield 
Krauth,  February. — Herr  Niemand,  verses,  Feb. — Kranken- 
wacht,  verses,  March. 

1870.  Die  Evangelien  des  Kirchenjahrs  fuer  Sonntagschulen  und 
Familien  durch  Fragen  u.  Antworten  schriftmaessig  erlaeutert. 
Philadelphia.     Ig.  Kohler. 

1871.  Appendix  of  c.  8060  passages  to  the  first  American  edition  of 
M.  Gottfried  Buechner's  "biblische  Real-und  Verbal  Hand- 
Concordanz,"  von  Dr.  H.  L.  Heubner,  with  an  introduction 
by  Dr.  Philip  Schaff.    Ig.  Kohler. 

1871.  Brosamen  von  des  Herrn  Tische.  Sechs  Predigten  fuer  die 
Hebe  Jugend.  1.  Das  Hosianna  der  Kinder.  2.  Das  Wort 
Gottes.  3.  Die  Furcht  des  Herrn.  4.  "Siehe,  ich  hab'  euch 
lieb."  5.  Das  Lamm  Gottes.  6.  Was  uns  die  Voegel  predigen. 
Phila.  Ig.  Kohler. 

1871.  Art. :  The  German  Liturgy  and  Rev.  S.  K.  Brobst.  Lutheran 
and  Missionary,  Dec.  28. 

1872.  Zwei  liturgischen  Andachten  auf  Charfreitag  u.  Ostern,  fuer 
die  Sonntag  Schule  u.  Gemeinde.  S.  K.  Brobst  &  Co. 

1873.  Lasset  euch  nicht  verfuehren.  Address  at  annual  meeting 
of  Ev.  L.  Generalverein  Junger  Maenner.  St.  Johannis,  Brook- 
lyn, pp.  15. 

1875.  Mein  erstes  Buch,  and  Mein  zweites  Buch,  by  A.  S.,  in 
collaboration  with  F.  Wischan.  Mein  drittes  Buch  was  not 
Dr.  Spaeth's  work.    Pilger  Buchhandlung. 

1877.  Jugendfreund  Lieder,  collected  by  A.  S.  Brobst,  Diehl  &  Co. 

1877.  Die  Reformation  u.  das  Reformiren.  Sermon  for  Reforma- 
tion Day  in  Seminary.  Printed  by  request.  B.  D.  &  Co., 
Pilger  Buchhandlung.  pp.   10. 

1877.  Christtags-Andacht  fuer  die  Sonntagschule.  B.  D.  &  Co. 

1878-1880.  Edited  Brobst's  Luth.  Kalender.    Articles:     1878.  Pastor 


414  LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS 

S.  K.  Brobst. — 3  translations  from  C.  P.  K.  Die  Einheit  der 
Kirche, — Verschiedene  Denominationen, — Das  Neue  Testament 
u.  die  "Denominationen." — 1884.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth. — 
1899.  Katholisch,  Roemisch,  Protestantisch,  Lutherisch.  Re- 
duced from  Herold  u.  Zeitschrift  in  1892. 

1878-1891.  Co-editor  of  Missionsbote.    His  articles  were  not  signed. 

1879.  In  Memoriam,  Maria  Dorothea  Duncan  Spaeth.  Privately 
printed. 

1879.  For  Endlich's  Choralbuch  A.  S.  prepared  the  Einleitung  zu 
den  Liturgischen  Gesaengen.  The  Preface  also  acknowledges 
the  active  part  taken  by  him  from  beginning  to  end  of  this 
work,  without  which  insuperable  difficulties  would  have  arisen. 

1879.  Zustand  u.  Aussichten  der  1.  Kirche  in  Deutschland.  Essay 
read  at  Second  Free  Lutheran  Diet  in  America.  Philadelphia, 
November  5-7,  1878. 

1880.  Concordia.  Rede,  3O0j'aehrig.  Gedaechtnissfeier  des  Konk. 
buches,  pp.  16.    Pilger  Buchhandlung. 

1 881-1894.  Articles  in  the  Herold  u.  Zeitschrift:  1881.  Das  General 
Council, — Die  Tempelsekte  in  Palaestina  und — der  Lutheran 
and  Missionary,  Oct.  21. — 1882.  Ward's  Island  u.  sein  Kaplan, 
May  6. — 1883.  Volksfreund,  Traktatgesellschaft  u.  Lutherthum, 
Feb.  10. — Die  Erste  These,  Nov.  10. — Eine  werthvolle  Jubi- 
laeumsgabe  (Dr.  Jacobs'  "Book  of  Concord."),  Dec.  29. — 1885. 
Der  Jugendfreund,  Jan.  10. — Aufruf  zum  Diakonissenwerk. 
Apr.  4. — 1886.  Reisebriefe;  I.,  with  verses:  Die  wandernde 
Boje,  July  3.— II.,  July  17.— III.,  Aug.  7.— 1887  to  1889, 
Betrachtungen  following  the  Church  Year.  These  Meditations 
were  the  basis  of  the  "Saatkoerner." — 1887.  Muehlenberg's 
Biography,  June  11. — Von  der  Conferenz  in  Hamburg;  Reise- 
Erinnerungen,  I.,  Dec.  3. — II.,  Dec.  10. — III.,  Dec.  17. — IV., 
Dec.  31.— V,  Jan.  7,  1888.— 1888.  Das  Seminar  in  Philadelphia, 
u.  der  Name  der  Pennsylvania  Synode.  Zur  Abwehr.  Jan.  28. 
— Das  Letzte  von  Kropp,  Feb.  11. — Das  General  Concil  u. 
die  Anstalt  zu  Kropp,  Feb.  25.  Mar.  3.  (Note,  June  16.) — Das 
General  Concil  in  Minneapolis,  Sept.  9. — In  Memoriam,  Beale 
M.  Schmucker,  Dec.  1. — 1890.  Das  Bild  der  ehernen  Schlange, 
May  31. — 1 891.  Das  Lutherfestspiel  in  Philadelphia,  with 
Epilog  von  A.  S.,  Mar.  14. — 1892.  Review  of  "Der  Hirt  u.  seine 
Heerde,"  Sermons  in  the  University  Church  at  Erlangen,  1868- 
1884,  by  Professor  Gerhard  von  Zezschwitz,  Jan.  16. — Wilhelm 
Julius  Mann,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  July  2. — Katholisch,  Roemisch, 
Protestantisch,  Lutherisch.  Nov.  5,  19. — Tennyson's  Lootse, 
with  translation  of  "Crossing  the  Bar,"  Nov.  26. — Das  Christen- 


LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS  415 

thum  u.  die  Deutschen,  Dec.  3. — Eine  biblische  Frage,  Dec.  17. 
— Ein  Urtheil  aus  Deutschland,  Dec.  24. — 1893.  Aus  Welt  u. 
Zeit,  8  articles,  Jan.  7,  to  Mar.  11. — Das  Kirchenbuch  im  Hause, 
Mar.  4. — Der  Praesident  u.  das  Aufsichtsamt,  Mar.  18. — Die 
Ordnung  des  Gottesdienstes  in  der  luth.  Reformation,  4  ar- 
ticles, March  25  to  April  15. — Das  Schwedische  Jubilaeum  in 
Rock  Island,  June  24,  July  1. — 1894.  Die  Kirchengeschichte  von 
Dr.  Jacobs  u.  der  "Nativismus,"  Referat,  im  Auftrag  der 
Deutschen  Pastoral-Con ferenz  von  Philadelphia,  Mar.  3,  10. — 
Dr.  W.  A.  Passavant,  June  30. 

1881.  Predigt:  von  der  Seele  bis  aufs  Fleisch,  pp.  15.  Pilger  Buch- 
handlung. 

1881.  Sermon:  Having  and  not  having,  pp.  15.  Published  by  the 
students  of  the  Luth.  Seminary  in  Philadelphia. 

1881.  Art. :  Dr.  Spaeth  and  the  Temple  Colonies  in  Palestine,  a 
letter  to  the  Editorial   Committee,  Lutheran  and  Missionary. 

1881-1910.  Articles  in  the  Lutheran:  1881.  Luther  and  German 
Nationality,  translated  from  Luthardt,  Dec.  22. — 1883.  "Warum 
betruebst  du  dich  mein  Herz?"  Feb.  1. — 1887.  Dr.  Valentine's 
"Effort  to  Reconstruct  History"  (Published  separately  as 
16  page  tract.),  Jan.  6. — The  Arrangement  of  Luther's  Cate- 
chism, May  12. — A  Proposition  to  the  Editor  of  the  Observer, 
June  2. — 1888.  The  Latest  from  Kropp,  transl.  from  Herold  u. 
Zeitschrift,  Feb.  16. — 1897.  Gospel  Thoughts,  first  series,  began 
October  14,  continued  until  November  19,  1903. — 1898.  To 
what  extent  does  the  Rhythmic  form  of  the  Choral  obtain  in 
America?  Nov.  24. — 1899.  Sacramental  Idea  in  Lutheran 
Theology  and  Worship,  Jan.  5. — "Nun  Danket  Alle  Gott,"  Jan. 
19. — 1900.  Fliedner  Centennial  announced,  Jan.  4. — The  Con- 
flict in  South  Africa,  Feb.  8.— The  Latest  Phase  of  the  South 
African  Conflict,  Feb.  22. — 1902.  Freiherr  von  Liliencron  and 
the  Church  Book  (Kirchenbuch).  The  first  of  a  series  under 
the  heading  "Greetings  from  Germany"  or  "Voices  from 
Germany,"  indicated  here  by  a  *.  Jan.  30. — Professor  Christo- 
pher Ernst  Luthardt,  D.D.,*  Oct.  23. — Dr.  Hilprecht's  Explora- 
tions,* Dec.  4. — 1903.  Luthardt  and  Lessing,*  Jan.  1. — Bismarck 
as  a  Christian.  Condensed  from  the  Church  Review.  I.,  Jan. 
8;  II.,  Jan.  15. — A  Bishop  on  Reform.  Catholicism,*  Feb.  5. — 
Delitsch  and  Hilprecht,*  Mar.  5. — The  King-Bishop  of  Prus- 
sia's letter,*  April  16. — International  Lutheran  Union,*  May 
14- — The  Bach  Festival  in  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  May  28. — Women's 
Rights,*  June  25. — Germany  and  the  Election  of  the  Next 
Pope,*   July   9. — Answer  to    Open   Letter:     Why   a   telegram 


416  LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS 

announcing  the  death  of  Pope  Leo  XIII.  was  sent  to  President 
Roosevelt,  Aug.  13.— Church  and  State,*  Sept.  24.— Sketch  of 
Charles  P.  Krauth,  Fourth  President  of  the  General  Council, 
Oct.  1.— The  Policy  of  Leo  XIII.,*  Oct.  15.— Epistle  Thoughts, 
from  November  26,  1003,  to  July  21,  1904.  Resumed  October 
•27  to  November  17,  1904— The  Melanchthon  House  in  Bretten,* 
Nov.  26. — The  General  Luth.  Conf.  in  Europe;  appointment 
of  Drs.  M.  Ranseen  and  A.  S.  members  of  Engere  Konferenz, 
Dec.  3. — German  Books  in  American  Libraries,*  Dec.  24. — 1904. 
Luther  Libels  Refuted,*  Feb.  4.— The  29th  Convention  of  the 
Gen.  Council,  transl.  from  Luthardt's  Allgemeine  Ev.  Luth. 
Kirchenseitung,  Feb.  4. — Meeting  of  the  Gen.  Conference  in 
Europe,*  Mar.  10. — Centennial  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,*  May  26. — The  Rostock  Conference,  Oct.  27. — Epistle 
Thoughts  selected  from  Luther,  Nov.  24,  Dec.  1. — Gospel 
Thoughts  from  Luther,  December  8,  1904,  to  November  23, 
I90S- — The  Crisis  in  Scotland,  Dec.  15. — 1905.  The  Evangelistic 
Movement  in  Germany,*  Jan.  5. — Philip  Jacob  Spener  as  a 
Lutheran,*  Mar.  2. — The  Americans  at  the  Dedication  of  the 
Dom  in  Berlin,*  Apr.  13.— Epistle  Thoughts  from  Luther, 
second  series,  November  30,  to  December  6,  1005. — 1906.  A 
Statue  for  Paul  Gerhardt,  Feb.  8.— The  Duty  of  the  Church 
toward  the  Diaconate.  Paper  presented  at  the  Sixth  Con- 
ference of  Deaconess  Motherhouses,  Mar.  8. — Professor  Dr. 
Otto  Zoeckler,  Mar.  8.— Answer  to  Open  Letter:  The  Church 
not  built  on  Peter,  Apr.  19. — The  Entrance  of  Lutheranism 
into  the  Sphere  of  the  English  Language — Its  Significance. 
From  Address  at  Gen.  Council,  Minneapolis,  1888,  May  10. — 
Gospel  Thoughts  from  Luther,  second  series,  Dec.  13,  1906, 
to  Nov.  21,  1907. — 1907.  In  Memory  of  Paul  Gerhardt,  Mar.  14. 
— Gospel  Thoughts  from  Lutheran  Pulpits,  November  28,  1907, 
to  June  3,  1909.— 1908.  W.  Loehe  on  English  Lutheranism, 
Feb.  20. — Luther  on  Beer,  Feb.  20. — Luther  as  a  Hymnist,  Oct. 
29. — 1909.  Theses  on  Church  and  State,  Jan.  21. — A  Defense 
of  the  Letter  to  President  Roosevelt,  Jan.  21. — Lutheranism 
in  Paris,  Jan.  28. — The  Three  Crosses  on  Calvary.  Address 
in  Seminary  Chapel,  Apr.  8. — Light  on  the  Situation  in  Turkey, 
May  13. — British  Visit  to  Germany,  Oct.  14. — Moravianism  and 
Modernism,  Nov.  18.— Rev.  John  Nicum  in  St.  Johannis,  Phila- 
delphia, Dec.  16. — 1910.  An  original  account  of  Luther's  Death, 
found  in  the  Krauth  Memorial  Library,  Jan.  20. — Lincoln  and 
Bismarck,  by  request.  Some  of  the  leading  points  of  a  lecture 
delivered  on  February  12th,  for  the  German  Society,  Feb.  24. — 


LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS  V7 

King,  Pope,  Ex-President  and  Methodism,  Apr.  14. — Freedom 
and  Order.  Translated  from  Professor  Gottfried  Fritschel, 
D.D.  I.,  Apr.  28.— II.,  May  5-— HI.,  May  12.— IV.,  May  19  — 
Dr.  Spaeth's  last  sermon  (Ordination  in  St.  John's),  July  7. 

1882.  Amerikanische  Beleuchtung  der  "Amerikanische  Reisebilder" 
des  Herrn  Prof.  Dr.  J.  G.  Pfleiderer.  pp.  24.  Published  by 
German  Home  Mission  Committee  of  the  Gen.  Council. 

1882.  Martin  Luther  an  Ensample  for  our  Time.  Opening  Sermon 
at  G.  C,  Lancaster,  Ohio.  Tracts  for  the  Churches,  No.  1. 
i2mo.,  pp.  15.    Office  of  Workman,  Pittsburgh. 

1882-1910.  Articles  in  the  Lutheran  Church  Review.  In  1887  the 
Seminary  Faculty  were  named  as  Associate  Editors.  1882. 
Recent  German  Theological  Literature,  January  and  July.— 
1883.  Recent  Ger.  Theol.  Literature,  April.— An  exegetical 
Study  of  Matthew  11:  3,  October.— 1885.  Luther's  Ordination 
Service,  January. — The  General  Council  of  the  Ev.  Luth. 
Church  in  North  America,  April.— Phebe  the  Deaconess,  I., 
July.— II.,  October.— 1886.  The  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  a 
review  of  "Annals  of  the  Disruption,"  Brown,  1884,  April.— 
1887.  Faith  and  Life  as  represented  by  Martin  Luther,  January. 
—A  New  Catechism,  April.— Luther's  Doctrine  of  the  Church, 
October.— Various  Book  Notices,  1887  to  1889.— 1888.  The 
German  Lutheran  Conference  in  Germany,  January.— 1889. 
Memorial  of  Beale  Melanchthon  Schmucker,  April. — 1890. 
Matthew  18:  20,  and  the  Doctrine  of  the  Church,  April. — Re- 
view of  Dr.  Jacobs'  "Lutheran  Movement  in  England,"  re- 
printed in  Lutheran,  October.— 1 891.  A  Chapter  of  Biography; 
Charles  Porterfield  Krauth  and  the  Synod  of  Maryland,  1842- 
1845,  January.— Studies  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  July.— 1892. 
Studies  in  John,  II.,  July.— 1893.  William  Julius  Mann,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  January.— Rev.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth,  1823  to  1841, 
July.— Studies  in  John,  III.,  October.  The  Studies  in  John 
were  also  printed  separately. — 1894.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth 
and  the  General  Synod  up  to  the  year  1859.  I.,  January.— II., 
April. — The  Lutheran  View  concerning  Sunday  and  Sunday 
Rest,  October. — 1897.  Melanchthon  in  American  Lutheran 
Theology,  January. — 1898.  History  of  the  liturgical  development 
of  the  Ministerium,  January.— History  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
in  America,  January.— Review  of  G.  J.  Fritschel  and  J.  Dein- 
dorfer,  January.— 1 901.  Conrad  Sigmund  Fritschel,  separately 
printed,  January.— Kirche-Church,  April.— 1902.  Bismarck  as  a 
Christian,  July.— 1903.  Rev.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth,  transl. 
by  E.  P.  P.,  from  Herzog-Hauck  Encyl.,  April.— 1905.     Inter- 


418  LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS 

national  Lutheranism  (Rostock  Address),  transl.  by  J.  D.  S., 
January. — A  letter  to  the  Alte  Glaube,  January. — Concordia, 
transl.  by  C.  T.  B.,  October. — 1906.  The  Schmuckers,  Samuel  S., 
and  Beale,  transl.  by  J.  W.  E.,  from  Herzog-Hauck  Encyl.,  July. 
— Seminary  Training  compared  with  German  University  Train- 
ing, October. — Remarks  at  the  Bi-centennial  of  Presbyterianism, 
October. — 1907.  Paulus  Gerhardt,  I.,  July. — II.,  Gerhardt's 
Hymns,  October. — 1908.  J.  Sebastian  Bach  and  Church  Music, 
October. — 1910.    An  original  account  of  Luther's  Death,  April. 

1883.  Martin  Luther  ein  Vorbild  fuer  unsre  Zeit.    Pastoralblaetter. 

1883.  Martin  Luther  im  Liede  seiner  Zeitgenossen.  pp.  132.  Pilger 
Buchhandlung,  Reading. 

1883.  Jubel-Lied  zum  10  November,  "Es  klingt  wie  Festgelaeute," 
printed  as  leaflet  for  schools. 

1884.  Das  Luther-Jubilaeum  in  Philadelphia.  Edited  by  A.  S. 
Published  by  Pastoral  Conference,  small  4to.,  pp.  88. 

1884.   Predigt:     Von   der   Nicodemus-Weisheit,   zum  Zeugniss   des 

Herrn  Jesu  Christi.    Zum  Besten  der  Innern  Mission,  pp.  15. 
1884.  Predigt:   Zwei  oder  Drei  im  Namen  des  Herrn.    Zum  Besten 

der  Innern  Mission,  pp.  8.    Also  published  in  Germany. 
1884.  Predigt:   Der  Ruf  zum  grossen  Abendmahl.    Zum  Besten  der 

Innern  Mission,  pp.   14. 
1884.  Sermon :    Call  to  the  Great  Supper.     Published  for  German 

Home  Mission  Committee. 
1884.   Address :     Vivit  Lutherus!   at   Luther  Jubilee  of   the    New 

York  Ministerium,  1883.    Leonhardt  u.  Zimmermann,  Pastoral- 

blat  fuer  Homiletik,  October. 

1884.  Predigt:  Das  General  Konzil.  Opening  of  G.  C,  Monroe, 
Mich.  i2mo.,  pp.  42. 

1885.  Phoebe  die  Diakonissin.  Lecture  in  Zion's  church.  8vo.,  pp.  47. 
1885.    Schiedlich-Friedlich.     Reply   to   attack   on   the   Deaconesses. 

Published  in  the  Evangelist,  Newark,  N.  J. 
1885.  Worte  der  Erinnerung  an  August  H.  Schnabel.  Dem  Andenken 

des  treuen  Lehrers  gewidmet  von  seinem  dankbaren   Pastor, 

A.  S.     Printed  by  Theo.  Wischan,  pp.  7. 
1885.  Sermon:    The  General  Council  of  the  Ev.  Luth.  Church  in 

N.  America.    L.  Church  Review,  April.    Separately  printed  for 

the  Pastoral  Association  in  Philadelphia,  pp.  51. 

1885.  Phebe  the  Deaconess.  Translated  for  the  Review.  Printed 
separately.     8vo.,  pp.  37. 

1886.  Sermon:  Faith  and  Life  as  represented  by  Martin  Luther. 
Review,  January.     Separately  in  1887.     pp.  18. 

1887.  Heimatgruesse.  Zwei  Predigten :    1.  Vorwaerts  in  Jesu  Namen. 


LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS  419 

2.  Was  hat  Paulus  den  Athenern  gepredigt?     Esslingen,  1886. 

Zum  Besten  des  Baufonds  der  Frauenkirche.    pp.  24. 
1887.  Ordinations-Predigt:    Die  Ersten  im  Weinberg.    Zum  Besten 

der  deutsch.  einh.  Mission,  pp.  13- 
1887.  Predigt:     Das  Koenigliche  Hochzeitsmahl.     Esslingen,  Aug. 

Weismann.     i6mo.,  pp.  12. 
1887.  Briefe    aus     Venedig,    8    numbers,    written     1862-3.      Lutli. 

Kirchenblatt. 
1887.  Festpredigt:    II.  Sunday  after  Trinity.    Rochester,  N.  Y. 
1887.  Liederlust.    Altes  u.  Neues  fuer  muntere  Saenger  in  Kirche, 
Schule  u.  Haus.  T.  H.  Diehl,  pp.  222. 

1887.  Several   articles   in   Meusel's   Kirchliches   Handlexicon;    not 
signed.  . 

1888.  Sermon:    The   Nations   and  the   Gospel.     Augustana  Book 
Concern,  pp.  16. 

1889.  Address  at  Dedication  of  Seminary,  and  Article  on  Charles 
P   Krauth,  in  Memorial  Number  of  Indicator. 

1890.  Associate  Editor  of  the  Messenger,  Philadelphia  Motherhouse. 
1890.  Deaconesses  and  the  Sick.    Address  at  Chautauqua.     Printed 

separately. 
1890.  Contributed  to  "Evangelische   Stimmen   aus  Zion,"   Predigt- 

buch,  H.  Voegele. 
1893.  Memorial  of  William  Julius  Mann,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Luth.  Church 

Review,  January.     Separately  printed  for  the  Ministerium,  pp. 

72. 
1893.  Die  Geschichte  der  Ev.  Luth.  St.  Johannis  Gemeinde.     Zum 

25jaehrig.    Jubilaeum  der  Kircheinweihung.     pp.  94- 
1893.  Saatkoerner  aus  den  Evangelien  des  Kirchenjahrs.     Der  St. 

Johannis  Gemeinde  in  Philadelphia  zum  25Jaehr.     Jubilaeum 

gewidmet.    8vo.,  pp.  462,  Ig.  Kohler. 
1893.  Lutheran  View  concerning  Sunday  and  Sunday  Rest.     Paper 

prepared  for  Chicago  Sunday  Congress.     Full  text  in  Luth. 

Church  Review,  October,  1894. 

1893.  Article:  Unsere  Gemeindeschulen,  Christliche  Ersiehungs- 
blaetter. 

1894.  Appendix  to  the  "Deaconess  Calling,"  translated  by  E.  A. 
Endlich  from  Emil  Wacker.    pp.  129.    M.  J.  D.  Home,  Phila. 

1895.  Dr.  Wilhelm  Julius  Mann,  Ein  deutsch-amerikanischer  Theo- 
loge.  Erinnerungsblaetter.  8vo.,  pp.  IX.  206.  Pilger  Buch- 
handlung.  . 

1896.  Address:  Opening  of  the  Bechstein  Germanic  Library,  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  March  21st.    Printed  in  Official  Report. 

1896.   Annotations   on   the   Gospel   according  to   John.     "Lutheran 


420  LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS 

Commentary,"    Vol.    V.   8vo.,    pp.    351.     Christian    Literature 
Company. 

1897.  Die  Heilige  Passion  in  sieben  liturgischen  Andachten.  pp.  47. 
I.  Kohler  &  Sons. 

1898-1908.  Addresses  or  Papers  prepared  for  the  Convocation  of 
Church  Musicians,  and  published  in  its  Annals:  Idea  of  the 
Lutheran  Service,  1898. — What  is  Church  Music?  1899. — The 
Pastor  and  the  Organist,  1900. — Music  in  the  Lutheran  Church ; 
and  Choir  Music  of  the  16th  and  17th  Centuries,  1901. — Johann 
Sebastian  Bach  and  Church  Music,  1908. 

1898.  Co-editor,  with  Dr.  Jacobs  and  Dr.  Spieker,  of  A  Documentary 
History  of  the  Ev.  Lutheran  Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Adjacent  States.    Volume  I.  1748  to  1780. 

1898.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth,  D.D.,  LL.D.  Vol.  I.  1823-1859. 
pp.  XIII,  425.   Christian  Literature  Company. 

1899.  About  350  Articles  in  the  "Lutheran  Cyclopedia,"  all  signed. 

1899.  Paper:  The  Sacramental  Idea  in  Lutheran  Theology  and 
Worship.  Printed  in  Report  of  Proceedings  of  General  Con- 
ference, held  December  28,  1899.  Also  in  Lutheran.  General 
Council   Publication   Board. 

1900.  The  Conflict  in  South  Africa,  from  a  Lecture  on  Boer  and 
Briton.     Condensed  for  the  Lutheran. 

1900.  Der  deutsche  Paedagoge  in  Amerika.  Address  before  the 
National  German-American  Lehrerbund,  in  the  University  of 
Penna.    Published  in  the  Paedagogisch.  Monatshefte,  I.  8. 

1900-1908.  Articles  in  Der  Kirchenbote :  Alles  Neu,  Apr.  14. — Prof. 
Dr.  Sigmund  Fritschel,  May  12. — Zum  Trinitatis  Evangelium, 
June  9. — 1 901.  Konferenz  Predigt,  reported,  Feb.  2. — Zu 
McKinley's  Begraebnisstag,  reported,  Sept.  28. — 1902.  Kon- 
ferenz-Predigten,  reported,  Feb.  1,  Sept.  13. — 1903.  Konferenz- 
Predigten,  reported,  Jan.  31,  Sept.  12. — Series  of  Betrachtungen, 
March  28  to  August  4,  1906. — Die  Ostergeschichte  im  Heliand, 
Apr.  25. — Joseph  Haydn  and  Dr.  David  Fr.  Strauss,  May  9. 
— Das  Bach-Fest  in  Bethlehem,  Pa.  May  23. — Zwei  Sterbelager, 
Aug.  1. — Das  Christenthum  u.  die  Deutschen,  Oct.  10. — Die 
erste  Weihnachtspredigt,  Dec.  19. — 1904.  Epiphanias,  Jan.  2. — 
Verloren — gesucht — gefunden  !  Address  at  Anniversary  of 
Inner  Mission,  May  21. — Unser  Kirchenbuch,  July  16. — Die 
internationale  Bedeuting  des  Lutherischen  Bekenntnisses 
(Rostock  Address),  I.,  Nov.  5. — II.,  Nov.  19. — 1905.  Glocken- 
Stimmen  (Sermon  in  Reading),  Mar.  11. — Friedrich  von 
Schiller,  May  6. — Die  Augsburg'sche  Konfession,  July  1. — Die 
Weihnachts-Tanne,  Dec.  16. — 1906.    Gedanken  ueber  den  Ehe- 


LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS  421 

stand,    Jan.    13.— Dr.    G.    F.    Krotels    Geburtstag,    Feb.    10.— 
Erinnerungen  eines  Philadelphia  Pastors,  I.,  Feb.  24.— II.,  Mar. 
10.— III.,  Mar.  31.— IV.,  April  14.— V.,  April  28.— VI.,  May  12. 
—Karl  Schurz,  May  26.— Erinnerungen.    VIL,  May  26.— VIIL, 
June  9.— IX.,  June  23.— X.,  July  7-— XL,  July  21.     With  the 
next  number   (August  4,  1906)   Dr.  Spaeth  became  Editor  of 
the  Kirchenbote.     The  Erinnerungen  continued  until  Septem- 
ber 20,    1908.— Pastor   Goedel's  Abschied,   Aug.   4.— Gott   hat 
sein  Volk  heimgesucht  (Sermon  in  Esslingen,  1904),  Sept.  29. 
— Zum     einunddreissigsten     Oktober,     Oct.     27.— 1907.       Ein 
Palestrina-Konzert,  Jan.   5.— Paulus  Gerhardt   u.   das  Luther- 
thum    in    Brandenburg,    Feb.    2.— Reisebrief    I.,    July   28.— II., 
Bei  den  Leipziger  Saengern,  Aug.  25.— III.,  Sept.  22.— Probe 
der   Juengerschaft    (Esslingen,    II    n.    Trin.),    Sept.    22.— Der 
Deutsche  Tag,  Oct.  6  — Antrittspredigt  in  St.  Johannis   (Oct. 
13,  1867),  Oct.  20.— Zum  Reformationsfest,  Nov.  3.— Die  Krisis 
in' der  Allgemeinen   Luth.   Konferenz,    Nov.    17.— Ein   Besuch 
im  Sueden,  Nov.  17.— Das  Kirchenjahr  im  Lichte  des  Advents- 
Evangeliums,    Dec.    1.— Die    St.    Johannis-Kirche    in    neuem 
Schmuck,    Dec.    1.— 1008.    Die    Boyertown    Katastrophe,    Jan. 
19.— Die    Universitaet    Tuebingen     weist    eine    Einmischung 
des    Roemischen    Bischofes    entschieden    zurueck,    Jan.    19.— 
Vor    Zwanzig    Jahren    (Kaiserrede),    Mar.    29.— Der    neunte 
Jahrgang,  April   12.— Das   Schlusswort   des  Johannis-Evange- 
liums,    May    10.— Seemanns-Lied    (Verse,    from    the    Greek), 
Sept.   6.— Das   Kyrie   eleison   der    See    (Verse,   transl.    from 
Longfellow),      Sept.     20.— Zum     Gedaeehtniss     von     Pastor 
Philipp  Pfatteicher   (Leichenrede),  Oct.  4.— Die  Festwoche  in 
Philadelphia  (Founders'  Week),  Oct.  4.— Eroeffnungs-Predigt 
bei  der  Allgemein.  deutschen  Konferenz   (Rochester,   N.  Y.), 
Nov.    1.— Festrede,   Oct.   6.— Staat,   Kirche   u.   Stimmrecht   in 
den  Vereinigten  Staaten  von  Amerika,  Nov.  29. 
1901.  Articles  in  Herzog-Hauck  Realencyclopaedie  fuer  Protestan- 
tische  Theologie  u.  Kirche:    Krauth—  Mann.— Muehlenberg  — 
Nord   Amerika,    Luth.    Kirche    in,    translated,    and    published 
separately.— Schmucker,  B.  M.,  transl.  for  Review,— Schmucker, 
S.   S.,  transl.  for  Review.— Walther,  Ferd. 

1901.  S.  Fritschel,  D.D.  A  short  biography  by  A.  S.,  reprinted 
from  Church  Review.  Wartburg  Publ.  House,  Waverly,  la., 
and  Chicago. 

1902.  The  Pericopes.  Read  before  Luth.  Liturgical  Assoc,  Pitts- 
burgh, February  24,  1902.  Printed  in  Memoirs  of  the  Asso- 
ciation,  and   separately. 


422  LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS 

1902.  Gedaechtnissrede,  Rosine  Elisabeth  Spaeth.     September  21st. 
1902.  Sermon:    preached  in  St.   Mark's,  October   16th,  at  sending 

out  of  missionaries.     Publ.  Rev.  W.  P.  Cooper,  Phila. 
1904.  Seventeen  Sermonettes,  Philadelphia  Public  Ledger. 
1904.  The   Sacramental  Idea  in  Christian  Worship.     Read  before 

Luth.  Liturgical  Association,  Pittsburgh,  March  14th.    Printed 

in  Memoirs  of  the  Assoc,  and  separately,  pp.  12. 
1904.  Predigt:    Gott  hat  sein  Volk  heimgesucht.     (Preached  in  the 

Frauenkirche  in   Esslingen).     Printed   for  the  benefit  of  the 

Building  Fund.  pp.  II. 

1904.  International  Lutheranism.  Address  at  General  Conference 
in  Rostock.  Translated  for  Review  by  J.  D.  S.  Separately 
printed,  pp.   15. 

1905.  Die  Ordnung  des  Luth.  Gottesdienstes.  Separatabdruck  aus 
dem  Sprechsaal,  pp.  43.  German  Literary  Board,  Burling- 
ton, Iowa. 

1905.  Sermon:  From  Nicodemus  to  Christ.  Funk  &  Wagnals 
Homiletical  Review,  July. 

1906.  Order  of  Lutheran  Worship.  Translated  by  H.  D.  S.  pp.  59. 
German  Literary  Board,  Burlington,  Iowa. 

1906.  Carl  Schurz  der  groesste  Deutsch-Amerikaner.  Gedaecht- 
nissrede, October  6th.  German-American  Annals.  Separately 
printed. 

1906.  Art. :  Seminary  Training  compared  with  German  University 
Training.  Address  at  Commencement  of  the  Seminary  in 
Mt.  Airy.  Printed  in  Church  Review,  October.  Also  separately, 
pp.  10. 

1906-1908.  Erinnerungen  eines  Philadelphia  Pastors,  57  numbers, 
in  Kirchenbote. 

1907.  Predigt:  Die  Probe  der  Juengerschaft  (his  last  sermon  in 
Esslingen).    Kirchenbote. 

1908.  Church  and  State.    Theses  for  the  Pastoral  Association. 

1909.  Charles  Porterfield  Krauth,  D.D.,  LL.D.  Vol.  II.,  1859- 1883. 
pp.  XL,  443.  General  Council  Board  of  Publication. 

1910.  Articles  in  Der  Deutsche  Lutheraner :  Opening  Article,  In 
Jesu  Namen,  Jan.  6. — Series  of  Betrachtungen,  January  13th 
to  June  30th.  Maria's  Testament. — Die  Ersten  im  Weinberg. 
— Schale  u.  Kern. — Herr,  nimm  uns  zu  Dir. — Der  Alte  boese 
Feind. — Ja  Herr, — Aber  doch. — Zwei  Bilder  vom  geistlichen 
Kriegsschauplatz. — Jesus,  das  himmlische  Lebensbrot. — Die 
Majestaet  des  Herrn  im  Gericht  der  Menschen.— Unsere 
Freude  u.  unsere  Wehmuth  beim  Eintritt  in  die  Karwoche. — 
Das  neue  Grab  im  Josephs  Garten. — Der  Sieg  des  Osterglau- 


LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS  423 

bens.— Der  gute  Hirte.— Die  wahre  Christenfreude.— Der 
Troester  ein  Strafer.— Jesus  das  Amen  auf  alle  Gottesverheis- 
sungen.— Das  Zeugniss  des  Geistes  u.  seine  Wirkung.— Das 
Kommen  des  Herrn  in  der  Feuertaufe  des  Pfingstgeistes.— Der 
Schriftgelehrte  beim  Seelsorger.— Wohin  ?— Fuenf erlei  Gestal- 
ten.— Der  Massstab  goettlicher  Barmherzigkeit— Auf  die 
Hoehe!— Das  richtige  Herz  nach  dem  fuenf  ten  Gebot. 

1910.  Lincoln  and  Bismarck.     Abstract  of  Lecture.     Lutheran. 

191 1.  Article  in  Hastings'  Encyclopaedia  of  Religion  and  Ethics: 
Catechisms  (Lutheran). 

Translations,  Verses,  Music 

Translations  in  the  "Liederlust."  1876.  Whittier's  Centennial 
Ode,  No.  154.  1879.  Abide  with  me,  No.  132.  1883.  Christ  the  Lord 
is  risen  today,  No.  49.  1884.  Onward  Christian  soldiers,  No.  67; 
Rock  of  Ages,  No.  90;  Nearer  my  God  to  Thee,  No.  116.  1885. 
Hosanna  to  the  living  Lord,  No.  2;  Jesus  Lover  of  my  soul,  No. 
118;  We  march,  we  march  to  victory,  No.  68;  The  goodly  land  I 
see,' No.  163.    1886.  There  is  a  land  of  pure  delight,  No.  158. 

'  Original  text  in  the  "Liederlust."  1875.  Jesu  Christ,  Marien 
Sohn,  No.  1.  1876.  Osterglocken  klingen  (with  music),  No.  56. 
1877.' Ein  Schifflein  ziehet  leise,  No.  80.  1878.  Auf  Bethlehems 
Felde  (with  music),  No.  18.  1881.  Nach  Dir  O  Herr,  verlanget 
mich,  No.  89.  1883.  Es  klingt  wie  Festgelaeute  (Jahresfest),  No. 
69;  Es  klingt  wie  Festgelaeute  (Reformation),  No.  73-  1884. 
Herbei  zur  selgen  Weihnachtsfreud   (with  music),  No.  9. 

For  a  few  additional  numbers  in  the  "Liederlust"  the  music  was 
composed  by  A.  S.  1878.  Wo  sind  die  Voeglein  hin?  No.  152. 
1884.  Was  mag  doch  lieblicher,  No.  30;  and  Der  Ost  ergluehet,  No. 
52.  1885.  Wie  prangt  im  Fruehlingskleide,  No.  64;  Der  hebe 
Sonntag  ist  nun  da,  No.  81 ;  and  O  Gottes  Sohn,  No.  160.  1886. 
Drei  Koenig  fuehrt  die  goettlich  Hand,  No.  26.  Also  for  five  of 
Friedrich  Rueckert's  Kindertodtenlieder ;  in  1879  Nos.  121-124,  and 
in  1886,  No.   120. 

In  the  revised  "Sonntagschulbuch,"  in  addition  to  Nos.  67,  71 » 
123,  151,  152,  156  and  331,  taken  from  the  "Liederlust"  is  one 
translation:    Jehovah  Thee  to  praise,  No.  155- 

Original  text  in  the  "Sonntagschulbuch."  1870.  Ich  bin  klein, 
verses  2-7,  No.  183.  .1875.  Wohlauf  mein  Herz  mit  Freuden,  No. 
269.  1890'.  Kommt,  Kinder,  kommt  (with  music),  No.  153-  1894- 
Vorwaerts  in  dem  Namen  des  Herrn,  No.  157- 

Original  music  in  the  "Sonntagschulbuch."     1875-  Es  regnet, 


424  LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS 

No.  298.  1890.  Die  Weihnachtsglocken,  No.  68;  and  Der  Sandmann 
kommt,  No.  335.  William  Merker's  "Chor  Buch"  contains  two 
numbers  not  published  in  other  compilations:  O  Lamm  Gottes 
unschuldig,  No.  51 ;  and  Schaut  hin,  die  Gruft  ist  offen,  No.  54. 

Miscellaneous  Verses :  Weihnachten  in  der  Fremde,  Bittenf eld, 
1 861,  published  many  years  later.  Epilogue  zum  Luther  Festspiel, 
1891.  Miscellaneous  Translations:  1892.  Crossing  the  Bar,  Tenny- 
son. 1908.  The  night  is  calm  and  cloudless,  Longfellow;  and 
Seemanns-Lied,  from  the  Greek. 

Many  verses  and  tunes  were  composed  or  adapted  as  needed, 
for  the  Jugendfreund.  "Occasional  verses"  were  often  written  for 
festivals,  especially  in  the  Deaconess  House;  for  declamation  in 
Sunday  or  parish  school,  etc. 


ERRATA 

Page  47 — Note,    for    Koenigen   read    Koenigin. 

Page  85 — Line  20,  for  Germany  read  German. 

Page  434— Second  Column,  6th  line  from  bottom,  for  Marie 
read  Maria. 


INDEX 


Albrecht,  Hans,  see  Hans  Al- 
brecht. 

Allgemeine  Konferenz ;  found- 
ing ;  relations  with  G.  C,  104 ;  195  > 
Bishop  von  Scheele  active  in,  1 79  5 
A.  S.  delegate  to  Hamburg  (1887), 
161;  meeting  in  Hamburg,  197; 
303;  304,  ff. ;  distinguished  mem- 
bers of  Konferenz,  197;  304;  ad- 
dress of  A.  S„  197,  198;  306;  33i, 
note;  A.  S.  delegate  to  Rostock 
(1904),  161;  326;  member  of  En- 
geren  Konferenz,  161;  329;  a 
warm  reception,  329;  opening  of 
Konferenz ;  committee  meetings, 
330;  Count  Vizthum,  329;  33°; 
331  note;  address  of  A.  S.,  33°', 
described  by  Alter  Glaube;  trans- 
lated by  J.  D.  S.,  162;  sent  to 
President    Roosevelt,    163. 

America;  position  of  A.  S.  to- 
ward, 267;  388;  404;  mission  of 
Germans  in,  269;  debt  to  Ger- 
many, 272;  influence  of  English 
prejudice,  273,  and  note;  A.  S.  as 
American  citizen,  280;  Imperial- 
ism 284,  ff. ;  politics  and  parsons, 
286.  .     • 

America;  travel  in,  344,  tt. 
Amerikanische  Beleuchtung, 

188;  209. 

Annotations  on  John  (1896), 
257,  258. 

Arndt;    Ernst    Montz,    lecture 
on    (1871),  251;  355;   song,   with 
music  by  A.  S.,  355;  356,  357- 
Arnold,    Pastor    in    Bittenfeld, 

A.  S.— Rev.  Adolph  Spaeth. 


Augustana  Synod;  Jubilee  in 
Rock  Island  (1893);  A.  S.  dele- 
gate to  149 ;  address  at  Commence- 
ment of  Seminary,  150;  regard 
of  A.  S.  for  the  Swedish  brethren, 
176,  ff. ;  Dr.  Hasselquist,  177,  and 
note;  Pastor  Norelius,  150;  Pas- 
tor Carlson,  150;  177,  178;  Pastor 
Olson,  150;  178;  last  message  of 
A.  S.,  396.  42. 


Bachmann  ;  Rev.  E.  F.,  third 
Pastor  of  Philadelphia  Mother- 
house,  225. 

Barbarossa ;  enthusiasm  for, 
24;  48. 

Baur;  Ferd.  Chr.,  founder  of 
"Tuebingen  School,"  37,  note. 

Beates;  Dr.  Henry,  126. 

Father,    Senior   Ministerii 

147- 

Bechstein  Germanic  Library ; 
opening  of  (1896)  ;  address  of  A. 
S.,  292;  quoted,  271;  272;  273, 
note. 

Berkemeier;  Rev.  G.  C,  review 
of  Passions-Andachten,  258;  mes- 
sage from  A.  S.  to  Iowa  Synod, 
396;  address  at  Memorial  Service, 

4°3-  _ 

Berlin,  321 ;  Domchor,  322 ; 
Kaiser  and  Kaiserin  ;  Babelsberg ; 
Sansouci ;  Potsdam ;  Frederick 
the  Great,  323;  Friedenskirche ; 
tomb  of  Kaiser  Friedrich  III., 
324;    dedication    of    Dom-Kirche 

(1005),  331- 

Bielinski;  Rev.  R.,  second  as- 
sistant Pastor  in  St.  Johannis, 
145,  note. 

Bismarck;  Otto  von,  character- 
ized by  Schurz,  281 ;  interview 
with  Schurz,  283;  "Kaiser  Bis- 
marck," 312;  appreciation  of 
Memorial  to  Kaiser  Wilhelm 
(1888).  291;  address  of  A.  S., 
80th  birthday  (1895)  ;  Memorial 
(Deutscher  Tag,  1898),  292;  Lec- 
tures: The  Four-leaved  Clover 
(Wilhelm,  Bismarck,  Roon, 
Moltke,  1901)  ;  Better  Halves  of 
the  Four-leaved  Clover  (Johanna 
Bismarck,  etc.,  1903),  292;  Lin- 
coln and  Bismarck  (1910),  281; 
monument  unveiled  in  Berlin,  322. 

Bittenfeld;  A.  S.,  Vikar  in,  39, 
ff. ;    Christmas    among    strangers, 

367-  A      0 

Blaubeuren;    A.    S.    enters,    17, 

18;  history,  18;  town  and  cloister, 


426 


INDEX 


20;  surroundings,  26;  daily  life, 
21 ;  22 ;  Ephorus  Schmoller,  19 ; 
studies ;  introduction  to  Shak- 
spere,  23 ;  The  Robbers,  24 ;  or- 
chestra, 25;  religious  instruction, 
26;  cloister  and  University;  leav- 
ing Blaubeuren;  the  promotion 
pipe,  27 ;  classmates  of  A.  S. ; 
Pfleiderer,  26;  376;  Euting,  27; 
342;  Schott,  17,  note;  18;  21;  23; 
25;  387;  Straub,  23;  36;  Pfister, 
"Pfarrers  Albert,"  17,  note;  19; 
21 ;  23 ;  27;  Gussmann,  18 ;  32, 
note;  Nast,  319;  re-union  of  the 
Promotion,  342;  387. 

B.  M.  S.— Rev.  Beale  M. 
Schmucker. 

Boley    family,    4;    ,    Chris- 

liane    Mauz     (grandmother)     12, 

and    note;     13;    ,     Friedrich 

(grandfather)  4;  5;  ,  Rosine 

Elisabeth,  4;  early  life,  6;  court- 
ship and  marriage,  5;  see  Spaeth. 

Breitling;  Otto,  kindness  to  A. 
S.  in  Naples,  308;  312;  314. 

Brobst;  Rev.  S.  K.,  Editor  of 
Zeitschrift,  etc.,  102;  distressed 
by  attack  on  A.  S.,  103 ;  defended 
by  A.  S.,  254;  work  of  A.  S.  on 
his  periodicals;  pledge  at  his 
death-bed,  248;  other  mention, 
101 ;  104,  note;  106;  170;  172. 

Buehrer;  Dekan  von,  A.  S.  or- 
dained by,  39;  75;  meeting  in 
Stuttgart,   301. 

Calvin  and  Luther  (Hole),  62. 

Cape  May  Point;  liturgical 
committee  there,  171 ;  letter  from, 
360;  Roseneath  Cottage,  361,  ff. 

Capri ;  a  winter  in,  307,  ff . ; 
San  Bernardo,  315;  English  and 
Americans,  316;  services  in  Capri, 
317;  318;  leaving  the  Island,  319. 

Cecile;  arrival  in  Esslingen,  14; 
character,  15 ;  letter  to,  27 ;  visit 
to,  327;   death,   15. 

Chamisso ;  das  Auge,  5. 

Charleston  (1894),  346,  347;  the 
Friendly  Society  (1906)  ;  Fort 
Sumter,  348;  349;  Reformation 
Festival  (1907),  350. 

Chautauqua  Deaconess  Confer- 
ence, 223,  ff . ;  paper  by  A.  S.,  223 ; 
other  speakers,  224. 


Choral  Vesper,  228;  at  G.  C. 
(1885),  229;  Dr.  Mann's  resolu- 
tions, 181,  note;  at  first  Conv.  of 
Church  Musicians   (1898),  243. 

Christopher,  Duke  of  Wuert- 
temberg;  founder  of  cloister 
schools,  18;  originated  whole 
school  system;  founded  Stift,  30. 
Cf.  Blaubeuren,  Tuebingen   Stift. 

Church;  For  the  Sake  of  the, 
Motto,  396. 

Civil  War;  the,  78.  ff. 

Cologne  Cathedral,  296. 

Conference  of  Luth.  Deaconess 
Houses;  General,  224,  225. 

Congress  of  Americanists  in 
Stuttgart ;  prominent  Schwaben ; 
lunching  with  royalty,  327;  a  chat 
with  his  Majesty,  328. 

Convocation  of  Church  Musi- 
cians; A.  S.  Chairman,  243; 
Philadelphia,  1898;  addresses,  Dr. 
E.  T.  Horn  and  A.  S.,  243 ;  Pitts- 
burgh, 1899,  244 ;  New  York,  1900, 
240;  244;  Buffalo,  1901,  244;  345; 
Allentown,  1908,  245. 

Cordes;  Rev.  August,  first 
Rector  of  Philadelphia  Mother- 
house;  cordial  relations  with  A. 
S. ;  founded  Girls'  School  (1890), 
222;  in  Lutherfestspiel,  235;  re- 
signed, 225 ;  A.  S.  visits  in  Frank- 
furt, 320;  in  Hamburg,  338;  ser- 
mon, silver  Jubilee  of  Phila. 
Motherhouse,  389. 

C.  P.  K.— Rev.  Charles  Porter- 
field  Krauth. 

Crossing  the  Bar  (Tennyson)  ; 
quoted,  motto,  372;  translated  by 
A-  S.,  353,  and  note;  words  of 
translation,  400;  music  by  Dr.  J. 
Fred.  Bridges,  353;  sung  at  Lu- 
ther Memorial,  238;  at  Memorial 
to  A.  S.,  399. 

Dalton;  Dr.  H.,  on  the  Lan- 
guage Question,  quoted,  277,  278. 

Deaconesses ;  difficulty  in  secur- 
ing, 208;  early  trials  in  Philadel- 
phia, 209;  Motherhouse  founded; 
chartered  (1887),  210.  See  Mo- 
therhouse in  Philadelphia. 

Demme;  Rev.  C.  R.,  beloved  in 
Zion's ;  Agenda  of  1855  mostly  his 
work,   166. 


INDEX 


427 


Deutsche  Psedagoge;  Der,  ad- 
dress (1900),  quoted,  274,  and 
note;  275;  the  German  language, 

279-  ^ 

Deutscher  Tag,  290;  292;  Fest- 
reden  (quoted  *),  1894:  Influence 
of  Immigration  on  the  Develop- 
ment of  the  United  States,  293; 
1897  * :  German-American,  293  ; 
1900*;  272,  ff.;  1901*:  Der 
Zweite  Generation,  276;  277;  340, 
note;  1905:  Schiller's  Germany, 
292;  351;  1906*:  Carl  Schurz 
Memorial,  282,  ff.;  1908*:  Foun- 
ders' Week,  267,  ff.;  275;  290. 

Dialect;  appreciation  of,  279; 
Hans  Breitmann,  280. 

Dionysius  Kirche  (Stadtkirche 
in  Esslingen),  12;  preaching  in, 
301 ;  326.  . 

Dittmann;  Sister  Wilhelmine, 
acting  Oberin  (1887),  220; 
(1908),  226;  fifth  Oberin  of 
Motherhouse  in  Philadelphia 
(1909),  226. 

Dresden;  the  Sistina;  modern 
art,  325. 

Dumb  watch  among  thinkers, 
quoted,  284,  note.  _    . 

Duncan;  Dr.  John,  appreciation 
of  Luther,  61;  letters  to  A.  S., 
61;  63;  death  of  wife,  63,  note; 
371  ;  delight  in  grandson,  1 16 ; 
card  playing,  369;  death  (1870), 
116;  sketched  by  Ian  Maclaren, 
370. 

Duncan;  Maria  Dorothea,  ar- 
rival in  Esslingen  (1861),  39, 
note;  visit  to  Essl.,  54;  letter  from, 
55;  Christmas  1863,  60;  letter 
from  Frau  Dr.  Spaeth;  love  of 
home  and  country,  64;  Devana 
Cottage;  correspondence  between 
Edinburgh  and  Roseneath,  68; 
Arthur's  Seat;  betrothal,  69; 
poem,  "Mia,"  70;  first  plans  for 
wedding,  85;  arrival  in  Philadel- 
phia; marriage;  wedding  journey, 
86.    See  Spaeth,  Maria  D.  D. 

Eberhard  im  Bart,  Uhland; 
translated,  H.  R.  S.,  288,  note. 

Edinburgh;  view  of,  69;  hos- 
pitality, 61 ;  70 ;  German  chapel  in, 
60,  note;  70. 


Ein  feste  Burg;  at  Luther 
Jubilee,  232;  Buffalo,  244;  at  the 
Wartburg,  298;  in  Paestum,  308; 
on  the  sea,  333;  for  the  Fourth, 
334  5  by  the  children,  326;  in 
Spanish,  370;  symbolized  in 
Krauth  Mem.  Library  building, 
379,  note. 

Eisenhardt;  Rev.  G.  C,  in 
charge  of  St.  Johannis,  125;  as- 
sistant Pastor;  valuable  aid  in 
remodeling  chancel,  126;  resigned 
(1900),  145,  note. 

Endlich;  John,  on  Kirchenbuch 
Comm.,  169 ;  Sonntagschulbuch 
Comm.,  172;  musical  editor  of  S. 
S.  Buch,  173;  174;  editor  of 
Choralbuch,  174. 

E.  P.  P.— Rev.  Ernst  P.  Pfat- 
teicher. 

Erinnerungen  eines  Philadel- 
phia Pastors,  72;  249. 

Erinnerungsblaetter  (Dr.  W.  J. 
Mann),  1895,  255;  256. 

Esslingen ;  situation ;  history,  1 ; 
described,  2;  environment,  11; 
12;  visit  to  (1886),  299;  theologi- 
cal disputation,  300;  preaching  in 
the  Stadtkirche,  301 ;  326 ;  a  birth- 
day at  home,  308;  preaching  in 
the  Frauenkirche,  329. 

E.  W.— Rev.  Emil  Wagner. 

Faith  and  faithkin,  6. 

Family  life,  359,  ff-  \  summer  by 
the  sea,  362;  363;  Brierbourne, 
365;  Festivals,  Advent  to  Syl- 
vester, 366;  367;  368;  recreation, 
353 ;  368 ;  the  Guest  Book,  370. 

Fliedner  Memorial  service, 
1900;  address  by  A.  S.,  226. 

Franklin  and  German  immi- 
gration, 268;  269;  275. 

Frauenkirche,  Esslingen,  11; 
54;  preaching  in  the,  329. 

Free  Church  of  Scotland,  73; 
the  General  Assembly,  68;  73',  in- 
fluence on  A.  S.,  143 ;  146 ;  402. 

Frick ;  Rev.  W.  K.,  quoted,  278, 
note. 

Fritschel;  Rev.  Sigmund,  first 
meeting  with  A.  S.  (1868),  17S; 
at  Jubilee  in  Rock  Island,  149; 
influence  on  confessional  position 
of   A.    S.,    164;   member   of   Kir- 


428 


INDEX 


chenbuch  comm.,  169;  171;  sent 
to  Allgemeine  Konf.,  195 ;  visits 
of  A.  S. ;  death   (1900),   176. 

Fry;  Rev.  Jacob,  A.  S.  at 
Synod  (1865),  88;  review  of  An- 
notations on  John,  257;  A.  S.  in 
Seminary,  406. 

Galesburg  Rule,  163;  Dr. 
Krauth's  Theses;  growth  of  A. 
S. ;  influence  of  Sigmund  Frit- 
schel,  164 ;  Dr.  Krotel's  position ; 
effect  of  Rule  in  family  of  A.  S., 
165. 

G.  C. — General  Council. 
[    G.  D.,  378;  note;  380. 

Geisenhainer ;  Rev.  A.  T.,  on 
Kirchenbuch  comm.,  169;  254. 

General  Council ;  founded 
(1866),  157;  A.  S.  delegate,  1868, 
147;  157;  German  Secretary 
(1868);  President  (1880),  157; 
Trustee  after  1880,  161 ;  opening 
sermons,  158;  History  of  G.  C, 
(Monroe  sermon)  ;  attacked  by 
G.  S.  men ;  defended  by  Drs. 
Schmucker  and  Jacobs,  159;  160; 
26th  Anniversary,  1893,  183;  40th 
Anniversary,  1907,  184;  German 
Conference  in  Rochester,  1008, 
381,  ff. ;  position  of  Germans  in 
G.  C,  383;  384;  A.  S.  a  leader  of 
confessional  Lutheranism  in  G. 
C,  406.  See  also,  Galesburg  Rule, 
Liturgies,  Home  Missions. 

Gerhardt;  Paul,  Stift,  Kaisers- 
werth,  214;  Friedrich  Mergner's 
setting  of  his  hymns,  353;  ter- 
centenary of  his  birth,  375. 

German  Empire ;  the  new,  288 ; 
in  the  General  prayer,  289;  ad- 
dress, A.  S.,  25th  Anniversary  of 
proclamation  at  Versailles,  1896, 
292. 

Hospital ;    Mr.    Lankenau 

President,  207;  A.  S.  enters 
Board ;  changes  in  charter ;  con- 
nected with  Ministerium  of 
Penna. ;  attempt  to  secure  Sisters, 
208;  difficulties  in  beginning,  209; 
plans  for  M.  J.  D.  Home,  210; 
merged  in  Motherhouse  in  Phila- 
delphia; q.  v. 

immigration,      267,      ff. ; 

alarm   of   English  colonists,   268; 


America's  debt  to  Germany,  272, 
ff. ;  immigrants  and  Home  Mis- 
sions, 187;  immigration  death  of 
immigrant's  nationality,  275. 

German  language;  and  culture, 
279;   in  the  Church,  277,  278. 

Society    in     Philadelphia, 

83 ;  its  Centennial,  84 ;  free  Eng- 
lish classes  for  immigrants,  85. 
See   Deutscher   Tag.     Lectures. 

Gettysburg;  visit  to,  344,  345. 

G.  F.  K.— Rev.  G.  F.  Krotel. 

Goedel ;  Pastor  Carl,  second 
Rector  of  Philadelphia  Mother- 
house;  installed  by  A.  S.,  1893; 
resigned,  1904;  remained  until 
1906,  225;  Editor  Kirchenbote, 
249;  reported  Conference  ser- 
mons of  A.  S.,  154;  Count  Viz- 
thum  and  A.  S.,  331,  note;  tribute 
to  Brierbourne,  365 ;  visited  by 
A.  S.  in  Montreux  (1909)  ; 
Gorner  Grat  and  Matterhorn,  339. 

Grahn ;  Rev.  H.,  preached  in 
St.  Johannis,  106;  member  of 
Deaconess  Board,  210;  issued  call 
for  German  Pastoral  Conference, 
155- 

G.  S. — General  Synod. 

Gussmann ;  Pastor  Karl,  article 
on  Tuebingen  Stift  used,  29,  ff. ; 
32,  note. 

Gustavus  Adolphus  Society  of 
Wuerttemberg,  325 ;  children's 
service,  326. 

Haas;  Rev.  J.  A.  W.,  assistant 
editor  of  Lutheran  Cyclopedia, 
253- 

J.    C,    teacher    in    Zion's, 

103;  112;  organist,  106;  on  S.  S. 
Buch  comm.,  172. 

Hans  Albrecht's  Record,  389, 
ff. ;  Luther's  death,  391.  Cf.  page 
239- 

Hasselquist;  Rev.  T.  N.,  177, 
and  note. 

H.  E.  J.— Rev.  Henry  E.  Jacobs. 

Hettler ;  Expeditions  -Rath, 
great-grandfather  of  A.  S.,  3 ; 
Justine,  see   Spaeth. 

Heyer ;  Father,  Chaplain  of 
Seminary,    133. 

History  of  St.  Johannis,  1893, 
98,  note;  126. 


INDEX 


429 


H.  O.— Rev.   H.  Offermann. 

Hole;  Pastor  Karl,  letter,  Cal- 
vin and  Luther,  62;  other  letters 
from,  66;  74,  note;  132;  letters  to, 
115,  116;  118,  119;  132,  133,  ff.; 
139;  173,  174;  346,  347- 

Holls;  Rev.  G.  C,  the  mission 
of  Germans  in  America,  269;  ab- 
sorption in  American  thought  new 
lease  of  life  for  German  thought, 

275- 

Home  Missions,  185,  ff. 

Horn ;  Rev.  E.  T.,  at  Convoca- 
tion of  Church  Musicians,  243; 
address  at  Loehe  Centennial,  375. 

H.  R.  S.— Harriett  R.  Spaeth. 

Inveraray,  60,  and  note. 

Iowa  Synod;  its  position  on 
Church  fellowship,  164;  friends 
of  A.  S.  in,  175 ;  A.  S.  delegate 
to,   1910;  his  last  message,  396. 

Italy;  travels  in,  44,  ff. ;  see 
Capri. 

Jacobs  ;  Rev.  Henry  E.,  notice 
of  Choral  Vesper,  1885,  230;  art.: 
A  Deserved  Rebuke,  quoted,  160; 
art. :  G.  C.'s  Commission  on 
Kropp,  quoted,  201 ;  notice  of 
Saatkoerner,  255 ;  on  Comm.  for 
Documentary  Hist,  of  Minister- 
ium,  153;  address  at  Luther  Me- 
morial, 238;  Annotations  on 
Romans  (1896),  257;  address  at 
25th  Anniversary  of  A.  S.  as 
Professor,  1898,  142,  ff . ;  Editor 
of  Luth.  Cyclopedia,  1899,  253 ; 
received  first  gifts  for  Krauth 
Memorial  Library,  378,  379 ;  his 
silver  Jubilee  in  Seminary,  1908; 
address  at  dedication  of  Krauth 
Mem.,  381  ;  note  on  discussion  be- 
tween A.  S.  and  Dr.  Lea,  261,  262; 
last  meeting  with  A.  S.,  396;  ad- 
dress at  Memorial  service,  401. 

J.  D.  S. — J.  Duncan  Spaeth. 

Jehovah,  Thee  to  praise ;  writ- 
ten for  Luther  Jubilee,  H.  R.  S. ; 
used  again  at  Luther  Memorial ; 
translated  by  A.  S.,  238. 

Jubilee  of  Penna.  Ministerium, 
1898,  152;  Documentary  History 
of  Mm.,   153. 


Kaiser  Friedrich,  III.;  mauso- 
leum, 324. 

Wilhelm  I. ;  Memorial  ser- 
vice, 1888,  83;  290;  address  of 
A.  S.,  290,  291 ;  lecture :  The 
Four-leaved  Clover  (Wilhelm, 
Bismarck,  Roon,  Moltke),  1901, 
292;  lecture:  Better  Halves  of 
the  Four-leaved  Clover  (Empress 
Augusta,  etc.),  1903;  address: 
25th  Anniversary  of  the  procla- 
mation   at    Versailles,   292. 

Wilhelm  II.;  made  LL.D. 

by  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
1905;  the  "War  Lord"  and  the 
Ledger,  280;  in  Berlin,  323. 

Kirchenbuch,  168,  ff . ;  Commit- 
tee, 1870,  169;  first  Vesper  Ser- 
vice, Bethlehem,  170;  Ministerial 
Acts,   171 ;   172. 

Krauth  Biography;  first  plan, 
124;  collecting  material,  258,  259; 
first  volume  finished,  1890;  pub- 
lished, 1898;  second  volume  pub- 
lished, 1909,  259;  385;  favorably 
received,  259;  notice  in  Lutheran, 
386. 

Krauth ;  Charles  James,  Secre- 
tary of  German  Society,  84. 

Harriett     Reynolds,     see 

Spaeth. 

Memorial  Library,  377,  ff. ; 

plans  for,  379;  interest  of  A.  S. 
in;  cornerstone  laid,  380;  dedica- 
ted, 380,  381 ;  symbolism  of 
building,  379,  note. 

Rev.  Charles  Philip,  cor- 
respondence with  his  son,  259. 

Krauth;  Rev.  Charles  Porter- 
field,  enters  Ministerium,  1865, 
87;  address  at  installation  of  first 
Faculty  in  Seminary;  translation 
by  A.  S.,  89;  quoted,  motto,  127; 
art.:  Necessity  of  New  Semin- 
ary, quoted,  129;  notices  address 
of  A.  S.  on  Book  of  Concord, 
151;  delegate  to  Allgem.  Kon- 
ferenz,  195;  as  grandfather; 
death,  123;  Memorial  Library, 
q.  v. 

Kropp ;  Seminary  in,  185,  ff. ; 
A.  S.  visits,  196;  303;  letter  from 
Pastor  Paulsen,  205 ;  Rochester 
Conference,  1908,  381,  ff . ;  sermon 
of  A.  S.,  383 ;  historical  paper  by 


430 


INDEX 


A.  S. ;  tribute  of  Pastor  Beer; 
permanent  Kropp  Commission  or- 
ganized, 1909;  Seminary  repre- 
sented by  A.  S.,  384;  Germans  in 
G.  C.  united,  385. 

Krotel;  Rev.  G.  F.,  installed 
A.  S.  in  St.  Johannis,  101 ;  posi- 
tion on  Galesburg  Rule,  165; 
Chairman  of  Comm.  on  division 
of  Min.,  154;  address  at  Luther 
Jubilee,  232;  notes  on  Erinne- 
rungsblaetter,  256;  257;  laid 
corner-stone  of  Krauth  Mem. 
Library,  380;  death,  1907,  183, 
note. 

Krueger;  Sister  Marie,  Oberin 
at  Iserlohn;  first  Oberin  in  Phila., 
209;  relations  with  Kaiserswerth, 
21 1 ;  decorated  with  iron  cross, 
218;   death,   1887,  220. 

Kuendig;  Rev.  J.  J.,  visited  by 
A.  S.,  102. 

Laird;  Rev.  S.,  Liturge  at 
Choral  Vesper,  1885,  229;  enter- 
tained Bishop  von  Scheele,  179, 
note. 

Landexamen,    17;    18. 

Language  Question;  Dr.  Dalton 
quoted,  277. 

Lankenau;  John  D.,  President 
of  German  Hospital,  207;  secures 
co-operation  of  Church,  208; 
founds  home  for  aged  Germans; 
includes  Motherhouse  and  Chil- 
dren's Hospital  in  plan;  separate 
Charter  for  Motherhouse,  210; 
villa  at  Cape  May  Point;  death, 
1901 ;  funeral  text  of  A.  S.,  226. 

Lea;  Dr.  Henry  Charles,  dis- 
cussion with  A.  S.,  Luther  and 
heretics,  261,  262. 

Lectures :  Savonarola  ( 1865 ) , 
251;  Waldenses  (1868),  85;  251; 
Ernst  Moritz  Arndt  (1871),  251; 
355;  das  geistliche  Volkslied 
(1875),  i73'>  251;  Luther  and 
America  (1886),  301;  Bismarck 
as  a  Christian  (1891),  293,  and 
note;  Gustavus  Adolphus  (1894), 
252;  the  Hero  Lectures,  292,  ff. ; 
Lincoln  and  Bismarck  (1910), 
281 ;  395.     Cf.  Deutscher  Tag. 

Leipzig  Quartette ;  tour  in 
America,   1900,  240,   ff . ;   the   Ad- 


vent light,  366;  Washington,  242; 
287;  in  Leipzig,  324;  Von  Conti- 
nent zu  Continente,  326;  at 
Ebensee,  335;  last  meeting  with 
A.    S.,   336. 

Liberal  movement,  1848,  11, 
note;  address:  Fifty  Years  Ago 
(1898),   293. 

Lincoln ;  Abraham,  assassina- 
tion, 80;  Memorial  Service,  82; 
compared  with  Bismarck  by  A. 
S.,  281 ;  by  Carl  Schurz,  282. 

Lincoln  and  Bismarck,  last  lec- 
ture of  A.  S.,  1910,  281 ;  395- 

Literary  work,  90,  91 ;  102 ; 
verses,  245 ;  246 ;  hymns  transl., 
246;  Zeitschrift,  91";  102;  248; 
Jugendfreund;  Editor,  1877-1889, 
248;  Betrachtungen ;  Reisebriefe; 
Gospel  Thoughts ;  Sermonettes, 
249;  Kirchenbote;  Editor,  1906- 
1908,  249;  Sunday  Rest,  250; 
works  of  reference,  252,  ff. ;  first 
English  article  in  Lutheran 
(1871),  254;  first  English  Essay 
(1878),  119;  159,  note;  contr.  to 
Luth.  Church  Review  (1882  on), 
255;  Memoir  of  Dr.  Mann  (1893), 
256,  and  note;  Erinnerungs- 
blaetter  (1895),  255,  256;  Anno- 
tations on  John  (1896),  257;  258; 
Passions-Andachten  (1897),  "3 J 
258;  Krauth  Biography,  q.  v.;  cf. 
List  of  Publications,  411,  ff. 

Liturgies,  165 ;  early  indiffer- 
ence of  A.  S.  to  liturgical  service, 
67;  166;  effect  of  first  service 
heard  in  Zion's,  166;  Liturgies  of 
Penna.  Synod,  166,  ff . ;  Kirchen- 
buch,  168,  ff. ;  Vesper  Service, 
170;  171,  note;  S.  S.  Buch,  172, 
ff. ;  Choral  Buch,  174. 

Loehe  Centennial,  375 ;  O  Gottes 
Sohn,  246;  375;  400. 

London;  first  sight  of,  56; 
liturgical  service  in,  166;  229, 
note. 

Lome ;  Lord,  kindness  to  A.  S., 
59;  67;  68;  interest  in  American 
Civil  War,  78;  visited  by  A.  S. 
in    Ottawa,    121. 

Loy;  Rev.  M.,  opening  sermon 
at  Reading  Convention,  383. 

Luther  Biography  proposed  by 
C.  P.  K.,  124,  125. 


INDEX 


431 


Luther;       Dr.       Martin,       das 
Predigtamt,    quoted,    motto,    102: 
addresses,     A.      S.,      1883,     234 
Luther's   deathbed,   239;  390,   ff. 
A.  S.  compared  with  Luther,  408 

Luther  Festspiel,  1891,  234,  ff. 
new  Epilogue,  A.  S.,  235,  236 
opposition  to  play,  236,  237. 

Luther  Jubilee,  1883,  231,  ff. 

Luther  Memorial  Service,  1806, 
237;  speakers,  238;  Luther's 
death,  239;  cf.  300,  Hans  Al- 
brecht's  Record. 

Lutheran  Church  Review ; 
founded  1882;  A.  S.  regular  con- 
tributor, 255.  In  1887  the  Sem. 
Faculty  became  Assoc.  Editors. 
Cf.  List  of   Publications. 

Social  Union ;  Luther  Me- 
morial, 237;  reception  to  Bishop 
von   Scheele,   179.  note. 


Mallet;  Dr.  Fr.  Ludwig,  54, 
and  note. 

Mann;  Emma  T.,  Life  of  Dr. 
Mann,  125;  256. 

Mann;  Rev.  W.  J.,  quoted, 
motto,  228;  first  impressions  of 
A.  S.,  76;  prominent  in  German 
Society,  83 ;  trip  to  Germany,  100 ; 
relations  with  A.  S.,  181 ;  on 
Hospital  Board,  208;  Deaconess 
Board,  210,  note;  Kirchenbuch 
and  Wollenweber,  181;  182;  ad- 
dress, Luther  Jubilee,  232;  Choral 
Vesper,  229;  resolutions  in  G.  C, 
181,  note;  death,  1892,  125;  Me- 
morial by  A.  S.,  256;  and  note; 
Erinnerungsblaetter,  181 ;  255 ; 
256. 

Marks;  Prof.  C.  A.,  Marcelli 
Mass,  245. 

Mary  J.  Drexel  Home,  see 
Motherhouse  in  Philadelphia. 

Mayser;  F.  P.,  assists  A.  S. 
(1867),  101. 

McKinley;   President,  reception 
of  Leipzig  singers,  242;  287;  his 
policy  condemned,  286;  Memorial 
address,  287. 
Mechling;  Rev.  G.  W.,  184. 
Mergner;  Rev.  Friedrich,  com- 
positions, 353. 
Meyer;     Consul     Charles     H., 


connection  with  German  Hospital, 
207,  208;  secures  Sisters  from 
Iserlohn,  209;  prepares  historical 
paper  for  corner-stone  of  M.  J. 
D.  Home,  209,  note;  member  of 
Deaconess  Board,  210,  note;  meet- 
ing A.  S.  in  Cologne  (1886)  ;  in- 
terview with  Empress  Augusta, 
212. 

Miller;  Rev.  C.  Armand,  ser- 
mon at  corner-stone  laying  of 
Krauth  Mem.  Library,  380;  A.  S. 
as  preacher,    138. 

MJnisterium  of  Penna.,  see 
Pennsylvania  Synod. 

Missouri  Synod;  attack  of 
Schulblatt  on  A.  S.,  103;  Jubilee 
medal,  104;  severe  criticism,  289; 
Roosevelt  protest,  263. 

M.  J.  D. — Mary  Johanna  Drexel. 

Moerike;  Eduard,  fondness  of 
A.   S.   for;  settings  of  his  songs, 

354- 

Moldehnke;  Rev.  E.  F.,  138;  on 
Kirchenbuch  Comm.,  169;  added 
to  S.  Schulbuch  Comm.,   172. 

Monroe  sermon ;  History  of  G. 

C,  159. 

Morris;  Rev.  J.  G,  119;  159, 
and  note;  362,  note. 

Motherhouse  in  Philadelphia ; 
first  proposed;  chartered;  first 
Board,  210,  and  note;  corner- 
stone laid;  description  of  build- 
ing, 218;  address  of  A.  S.,  219; 
death  of  first  Oberin  (1887),  220; 
Wanda  von  Oertzen  elected;  in- 
stalled by  A.  S.,  221 ;  Rector 
Cordes  installed  (1888);  founded 
Girls'  School  (1890),  222;  re- 
signed (1892),  225;  Pastor  Goe- 
del,  1893-1906,  225;  Motherhouse 
.received  into  Gen.  Conference, 
211,  and  note;  death  of  Wanda 
von  Oertzen;  Emilie  Schwarz 
third  Oberin,  225;  resigned; 
Magdalene  Steinmann  fourth 
Oberin,  226;  Wilhelmine  Ditt- 
mann  fifth  Oberin,  226;  Rev.  E. 
F.  Bachmann  third  Pastor,  225; 
Lankenau  Villa,  226;  growth  of 
Sisterhood  by  1900,  227;  call  for 
Gen.  Conv.  of  Luth.  Deaconess 
Houses  in  America,  224;  tribute 
to  A.  S.,  227. 


432 


INDEX 


Motherhouses  in  Germany ; 
visited  by  A.  S.,  1886,  211;  295; 
Kaiserswerth  :  Pastor  Dissel- 
hof,  213;  Paul  Gerhardt  Stift; 
Mem.  to  Fliedner;  Johannisberg, 
214;  Bielefeld:  Pastor  v.  Bodel- 
schwingh,  215,  216;  Hannover: 
Henrietten  Stift;  Dr.  Buettner, 
212;  216;  the  Oberin,  217;  Al- 
tona:  Pastor  Schaeffer;  the 
Rauhe  House,  Director  Wichern, 
217 ;  Eisenach  :  Pastor  Schu- 
bert; his  peculiar  position,  217; 
the  Wartburg,  297  ;  Neudettelsau 
(Neu  Dettelsau)  :  Rector  Meyer, 
212;  very  approachable;  beautiful 
service,  217;  Inspector  Deinzer, 
218;  Stuttgart:  Inspector  Hoff- 
mann ;  Sisters'  work  in  Esslingen, 
218. 

Mount  Airy;  home  in,  126;  364, 
365. 

Muehlenberg;  Peter,  Pres.  Ger- 
man Society,  84;  queer  perversion 
of   Woodstock   story,  334. 

Muehlenberg;  Rev.  H.  M., 
founding  of  Penna.  Synod,  166 ; 
hymnbook  of  1786,  167;  182; 
Biography  by  Dr.  Mann  quoted, 
182. 

Muhlenberg  College;  A.  S. 
Trustee  of,  1877,  148;  confers 
title  LL.D.  on  A.  S.,  1896,  131, 
note;  bequest  of  A.  S.  to,  311, 
note. 

Musical  composition,  246;  247; 
354;  Arndt's  Lied,  words  and 
music,  356. 


Naples;  visit  in,  308;  Christ- 
mas in;  the  International  School, 
312,  313;  Christmas  sermon,  315, 
note;   Vesuvius,  313,  314. 

Nellingen;  mother's  birthplace, 
4;  12;  sermon  preached  in,  39. 

Newton;  Dr.,  impression  made 
on  A.  S.  by  children's  service,  110. 

New  York  Professorship,  128; 
130;  A.  S.  nominated;  installed, 
131 ;  kind  reception  in  N.  Y. 
Synod,  132;  work  in  Seminary, 
133;  134;  135;  attacks  on  A.  S., 
139;  resignation,  140;  gift  to 
Wagner  College,  140,  note. 


Nidecker;  Rev.  J.  E.,  first 
Chairman  German  Pastoral  Conf., 
156;  director  of  choir  for  Choral 
Vesper,  229;  for  Luther  Mem., 
238. 

Notz ;  Rev.  F.  W.  A.,  note  on 
A.  S.  in  Tuebingen,  34;  supply  at 
St.  Johannis,  117. 

Nuremberg,   56;   298. 

Oertzen;  Wanda  von,  second 
Oberin  in  Phila. ;  her  character, 
221 ;  kindness  to  A.  S.,  221,  note; 
appreciation  of  Arndt's  Lied,  355; 
death,  225. 

Offermann;  Rev.  H.,  tribute  to 
A.  S.  as  preacher,  407. 

Ohl;  Rev.  J.  F.,  "Ideal  Luth. 
Service  of  Song,"  quoted,  231. 

Orphans'  Home ;  connection  of 
A.  S.  with,   156;  251. 

Passavant  ;  Rev.  W.  A.,  Tracts 
for  the  Churches,  158;  motion  on 
Home  Missions  in  G.  C,  189. 

Pastoral  Conferences,  154,  ff. ; 
founders  of  German  Past.  Conf., 

XS5-  „  .        . 

Pastorius ;  German  immigra- 
tion, 267;  272;  the  "Beehive,"  268, 
and  note. 

Pennsylvania  Synod ;  founded 
by  Muehlenberg,  1748,  166;  A.  S. 
enters,  1865,  87;  147;  impressions 
at  Lancaster,  1866;  synodical 
offices  and  committee  work  of  A. 
S.,  148;  President,  1892-1894,  149; 
wrote  congratulations  of  Synod 
to  Halle  institutions,  150;  ad- 
dress: Book  of  Concord,  1880, 
151 ;  150th  Anniversary  of  Synod, 
152;  Documentary  History;  con- 
ferences, 153;  conferences  re-or- 
ganized, 154;  Liturgies,  166,  ff. ; 
Church  Book,  168;  169;  170;  171; 
Resolutions  of  Synod,  death  of 
A.  S.,  405. 

Pfarrers  Albert,  17,  note; 
quoted,   17-20;  23;  27. 

Pfleiderer;  Prof.  J.  G.,  Ameri- 
kanische  Reisebilder,  187;  refuted 
by  A.  S.,  188;  301. 

Prof.    Otto,   classmate   of 

A.  S.,  26;  143;  visit  in  Mt.  Airy; 
death   (1908),  376. 


INDEX 


433 


Philadelphia ;  attachment  of  A. 
S.  to,  280;  Phila.  orchestra,  351; 
394;  Fritz  Scheel,  352. 

Plochingen ;  theological  club, 
299;  political  meeting  in,  302; 
speech  of  A.  S.,  302;  303,  note. 

Preacher ;  A.  S.  as,  136 ;  401 ; 
407 ;  preparation  for  the  pulpit ; 
free  texts,  137;  manuscript  in  the 
pulpit,  41 ;  first  ex  tempore  ser- 
mon, 81 ;  first  synodical  sermon, 
138;  Trinity  Gospel,  151;  opening 
sermons  at  G.  C.,  158. 

Reed;  Rev.  L.  D.,  on  Comm. 
for  designing  Krauth  Mem.  Li- 
brary, 378;  Director  of  Library, 
379- 

Rees;  Rev.  G.  C,  Liturge  at 
Buffalo  Conv.  of  Church  Musi- 
cians,  244. 

Reichenau ;  visit  to,  1909,  341. 

Riecke;   Emil,   108,  ff. ;  375. 

Roosevelt;  Ex-President,  and 
the  Church  of  Rome,  262,  ff. ;  his 
experience  with  the  Vatican,  265 ; 
266;  Rostock  address  sent  to  him, 
163. 

Roseneath ;  its  situation,  58 ; 
beauty  of,  67;  Roseneath  to  In- 
veraray,   58,    59. 

Rostock;  see  Allgemeine  Kon- 
ferenz. 

Roth;  Rev.  H.  W.,  speaker  at 
40th  Anniversary  of  G.  C,  184. 

Ruperti;  Rev.  J.,  quoted,  motto, 
72;  on  K.  Buch  comm.,  169;  S.  S. 
Buch  comm.,  172;  letters:  Me- 
moir, 121 ;  Dr.  Krauth's  death, 
124;  prominent  in  Allgem.  Kon- 
ferenz,  194;  visited  by  A.  S.,  196; 
304. 

Saatkoerner,  1893 ;  quoted, 
motto,  1 ;  dedicated  to  St.  Johan- 
nis,  126;  notices  of,  136;  255;  256. 

Schaeffer;  Rev.  C.  F.,  conse- 
crated St.  Johannis,  106;  in  first 
Sem.  Faculty,  129;  on  first  Engl. 
Liturgical  Comm.,  168,  note. 

Rev.  C.  W.,  A.  S.  intro- 
duced to,  78;  182;  Burkhalter 
Professor,  131;  183;  on  first 
Engl.  Liturgical  Comm.,  168, 
note:   transl.   Weinen   und   Wein, 


176;  last  message  to  Synod; 
death,  1896,  183. 

Schaff;  Rev.  Philip,  published 
homiletical   journal,  91. 

Scheele ;  Bishop  von,  I7g;  at 
Rock  Island,  1893,  149;  1910,  395; 
guest  of  A.  S.,  150;  178;  179, 
note;  Allgem.  Konferenz,  179; 
180;  appreciation  of  Saatkoerner, 
256;  last  meeting  with  A.  S.,  in 
Rostock,   180;  329. 

Schleiermacher  and  card  play- 
ing, 369. 

Schleswig;  visit  to,  11;  303. 

Schmauk;  Rev.  T.  E.,  Luther 
Jubilee,  233 ;  Annotations  on  John, 
258;  President  of  G.  C,  384; 
satisfaction  with  Rochester  Conf., 
385 ;  tribute  to  A.  S.  as  theolo- 
gian, 408. 

Schmid;  Pastor  Rudolf  (Prae- 
lat  of  Heilbron),  55;  328;  de- 
scription of  Roseneath,  57;  re- 
commended A.  S.  for  Scotland, 
8,  note;  55. 

Schmucker ;  Rev.  Beale  M.,  on 
first  Engl.  Liturgical  Comm.,  168, 
note;  on  Kirchenb.  Comm.,  169; 
his  committee  work,  148;  reviews 
Monroe  Sermon,  159;  notice  of 
Kaiser  Memorial,  291 ;  on  Comm. 
on  Ministerial  Acts,  171 ;  satisfac- 
tion with  burial  service;  first  used 
at  his    funeral,    1888,    172. 

Rev.  S.  S.,  on  the  way  f.6 

Fort  Wayne,  1866,  159. 

Schnabel ;  August,  begins  work 
in  St.  Johannis,  109 ;  on  S.  Schulb. 
Comm.,  172 ;  highly  esteemed  by 
A.  S.,  no;  cf.  List  of  Publica- 
tions, 1885  ;  activity  in  St.  Johan- 
nis,   112;    death,    109. 

Schoeberlein ;  Professor,  visit 
to  his  widow,  296;  the  Hauska- 
pelle,  297;  Passionsliturgie,  113; 
258. 

Schott;  Dr.  Eberhard,  notes  on 
Blaubeuren,  17,  note;  23;  25; 
letters  to,   18;  21 ;  22. 

Schumann;  Stadtpfarrer,  con- 
firmed A.   S.,   16. 

Schurz;  Carl,  282,  ff. ;  in  1848, 
11,  note;  quoted,  motto,  267;  com- 
parison between  Bismarck  and 
Lincoln,    281 ;    meeting    A.    S.    at 


434 


INDEX 


University  Club,  282,  note;  ad- 
dress, 1900,  285;  letter  to  A.  S., 
286;  Memorial  address,  A.  S. 
(1906),  282;  293;  Bismarck  and 
Schurz,  283;  characterized  by  A. 
S.,  282;  283;  A.  S.  compared  to, 
404;    405. 

Schwarz;  Sister  Emilie,  third 
Oberin  of  Phila.  Motherhouse, 
1898-1901,  225;  226. 

Seiss;  Rev.  J.  A.,  preached  in 
St.  Johannis,  106;  prepared 
Theses  on  baptism  with  A.  S., 
155;  Tempelsekt  articles,  260; 
261 ;  pleased  with  "Luther  an  en- 
sample  for  our  times,"  158;  Presi- 
dent of  G.  C,  157. 

Seminary;  the  new,  founded, 
1864,  128;  in  Franklin  Square, 
133;  early  methods  of  teaching, 
134;  in  Mt.  Airy,  128;  dedication, 
277;  increased  activity  of  A.  S., 
140 ;  Luther  Abend ;  German  Ves- 
per, 141 ;  enthusiasm  for  liturgical 
studies,  141,  note;  Seminary  Day 
founded,  128;  position  of  A.  S. 
in  Seminary,  406. 

Siebott;  Rev.  H.  D.  E.,  notes 
on  German  Pastoral  Conference, 
155. 

Silcher ;  Friedrich,  35  ;  36. 

Societies  to  which  A.  S.  be- 
longed, 281,  and  note. 

Spaeth  family  :  ancestors,  2 ; 
brother  and  sisters  of  A.  S.,  4. 
Spaeth;      Adolph       (son),      117; 

death,    118.    Alan    Bertram 

(son),    birth;     death,     124!    

Charles  Friedrich  (son),  birth; 
death,   123. 

Spaeth;  Emma  (sister),  arrival 
in  Philadelphia,  86;  activity  in 
Zion's,  87;  organist  in  St.  Johan- 
nis,  112;  married  Rev.   Ph.   Pfat- 

teicher,  118.    Ernst  (brother), 

profession,  4;  opinion  of  America, 
75 ;    interest   in  politics,   301 ;   the 

hospital   in   Esslingen,   218.     

Ernst  Philip  (son),  birth,  117; 
little  Philip  and  his  angel,  357,  ff. 

Spaeth;  Ernst  Philip  Heinrich 
(father),  2;  intended  for  the 
ministry,  3;  Urach  promotion,  19; 
sympathy  with  liberal  movement 
in    1848;    ambition    for  A.    S.,   3; 


earlv  death,  4;  centennial  of  his 
birth,  387. 

Spaeth ;  Harriett  Reynolds 
Krauth  (wife),  marriage;  first 
trip  abroad,  122 ;  second  trip,  125 ; 
307;  Ch.  Book  with  Music,  177, 
note;  243;  246;  Jehovah  Thee  to 
praise,  238;  translations:  O 
Gottes  Sohn;  Auf  Bethlehems 
Felde,  246;  Herbei  zur  seligen 
Weihnachtsfreud,  247;  Der  Ost 
ergluehet,  247,  note;  Eberhard  im 
Bart,  quoted,  288,  note;  third  trip 
abroad,  337,  ff . ;  letters  to:  150; 
158;  206;  212,  ff. ;  224;  244;  295, 
ff.,  European  travel;  344,  ff., 
American  travel. 

Spaeth ;  Heinrich  Douglas 
(son),  116;  ordained,  149;  with 
A.  S.  in  Switzerland,  320. 

Spaeth;  John  Duncan  (son), 
birth;  visits  Dr.  Duncan,  116; 
studied  in  Leipzig,  307;  at  Tenny- 
son's funeral,  353;  translated 
Rostock  address,  162 ;  note  on  the 
Tuebingen  School,  37.  His  chil- 
dren:      Dorothea     Duncan,     367; 

Paul  Ernst,  373.    Julia  Car- 

ola  (daughter),  birth,  124;  mar- 
riage (Hauschka)  ;  her  son,  Theo- 
dore    Hauschka,     337;     his     first 

birthday,  341.  Justine  Jako- 

bine  Agathe  Hettler  (grand- 
mother), 2;  fondness  for  A.  S., 
13;  his  Latin  letter  to,  14;  her 
death,  14. 

Spaeth ;  Maria  Dorothea  Dun- 
can (wife),  marriage,  86;  activity 
in  congregation,  87;  114;  study- 
ing the  Symbolical  Books,  87; 
birth  of  first  child ;  first  trip 
abroad;  second  trip  abroad;  Dr. 
Duncan's  death,  116;  relation  to 
Galesburg  Rule,  165 ;  failing 
health,  116;  Leidenszeit,  119; 
death,  Dec.  21,  1878,  120;  357; 
367;      the      Memoir,      120;      121; 

Memorial      window,      375.      

Marie        Elisabeth        (daughter), 

birth,  117;  abroad,  121;  326.    

Martin  Theodor  (son),  birth,  117; 

character ;  death,  124.    Philip 

(grandfather),  position  and  title, 
2.     Reynold  Albrecht  (son), 


INDEX 


435 


birth,  124;  other  mention,  307; 
322. 

Spaeth ;  Rosine  Elisabeth  Boley, 
q.  v.  (mother),  2;  4;  5;  Christian 
character,  6;  7;  love  of  music,  8; 
of  travel,  9;  joy  in  life;  influence 
on  A.  S.,  10;  his  sermon  in  Nel- 
lingen,  39;  letter  to  M.  D.  D.,  64; 
the  call  to  America,  74;  8,  note; 
295 ;  interest  in  pastoral  work  of 
A.  S.,  7;  in  Dr.  Mann's  visit  to 
his  mother,  100;  an  active,  happy 
age,  300;  a  sermon  in  Esslingen, 
326;  "machine  letters,"  372;  her 
death,  1902;  Memorial  service,  6. 

Spaeth ;  Sigmund  Gottfried 
(seventh  son),  birth,  124;  "Kaiser 
Bismarck,"  312;  paper  at  Convo- 
cation of  Ch.  Musicians,  245. 

Spaeth  ;  Philipp  Friedrich 
Adolph    Theodor,    Chronology. 

1839-1853.  Birth,  October  29, 
1839,  2;  first  church-going,  12; 
learning  to  read,  10;  beginning 
Latin,  13;  Latin  letter,  14;  liberal 
movement,  1848,  10,  11;  possible 
knowledge  of  Carl  Schurz,  282; 
choice  of  vocation ;  confirmation, 
1853,  16;  the  Landexamen,  17; 
begins  Hebrew,  18. 

1853-1857.  Enters  Blaubeuren, 
q.  v.,  17;  edits  Satura  (1856),  21; 
Turandot,  22;  Schiller's  Robbers, 
24 ;  enthusiasm  for  music,  25 ; 
father's  death  (1856),  26;  uncer- 
tain as  to  vocation ;  wishes  to 
enter  army,  27. 

1857-1860.  Enters  Tuebingen 
Stift,  q.  v.,  27;  Koenigsgesell- 
schaft,  34;  first  sermon,  in  Rohr- 
acker,  1859;  sermon  in  Nellingen, 
39;  Fuchsmajor,  34;  director  of 
quartette  in  Roigel ;  Liedertafel ; 
Fr.  Silcher,  35 ;  Stift  orchestra, 
35  J  36 ;  drawing  to  music  as  voca- 
tion ;  a  good  student,  36 ;  the  prize 
sermon,  36;  77;  University 
friends,  38;  39;  143;  Professors, 
143. 

1861.  Ordained,  Oct.  10th,  39; 
301 ;  first  meets  Maria  Duncan, 
39,  note;  Vikar  in  Bittenfeld,  40; 
Christmas  among  strangers,  366 ; 
Assur ;  a  great  musical  treat,  40 ; 
manuscript   in   the  pulpit,  41. 


1862.  Applying  himself  to 
theology,  42;  first  liturgical  ser- 
vice, 41,  42;  failing  health,  43; 
journey  to  Italy,  44;  a  winter  in 
Venice,  45,  fr. ;  delight  in  the  sea, 
46;  das  heilige  Baebele,  47;  Ernst 
Eckstein,  47,  and  note;  Emperor 
and  Pope,  48;  the  church  of  the 
Jesuits,  49-52. 

1863.  Leaving  Venice;  Genoa 
to  Mentone,  52;  Easter  in  Men- 
tone,  53 ;  Dr.  Mallet,  54,  and  note; 
Vikar  in  Groetzingen;  called  as 
tutor  to  Scotland,  55;  an  English 
letter;  London,  56;  enters  family 
of  the  Duke  of  Argyle,  57 ;  happy 
in  Roseneath,  58;  from  Roseneath 
to  Inveraray;  friendship  with 
Lord  Lome,  59;  English  lessons; 
Christmas  in  Edinburgh,  60;  Dr. 
Duncan's  plan  for  A.  S.,  61 ;  the 
Westminster  Confession,  61,  62; 
other  Calvinistic  writings,  62,  63; 
letter  from  Hole,  62;  good  effect 
of  earnest  study;  but  cannot  sub- 
scribe to  Westminster  Confes- 
sion, 64. 

1864.  Leaves  Roseneath,  65; 
68;  Devana  cottage,  68;  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  68;  73;  the  call  to 
Philadelphia,  69;  74;  betrothal, 
69;  visits  Kirkaldy;  sails  from 
Liverpool,  70;  the  voyage,  75; 
arrives  in  Philadelphia ;  meets  Dr. 
Mann,  76;  first  sermon  in  St. 
Michael's,  77;  145,  146;  elected 
pastor  of  St.  Michael's  and 
Zion's;  installed,  Oct.  16th;  ser- 
mon, the  testing  of  an  Apostle, 
77 ;  indifference  to  the  Civil  War, 
78;  an  enthusiastic  American,  79; 
a  member  of  the  German  Society, 
83;  new  Seminary  opened;  Fac- 
ulty installed;  translation  of  C. 
P.  K.'s  address ;  Hebrew  Club, 
89;  schools  for  the  Northwest 
opened  in  Coates  Street,  97;  ad- 
dressed by  A.  S.,  Christmas,  no. 

1865.  First  sermon  printed,  91 ; 
plan  of  A.  S.  for  dividing  Zion's, 
97 ;  the  taking  of  Richmond ;  Lin- 
coln's assassination,  80;  first  ex 
tempore  sermon ;  Easter  sermon, 
81;  Memorial  Service,  82;  A.  S. 
joins  escort  of  citizens,  April  22d, 


436 


INDEX 


83;  marriage,  May  8th,  86;  re- 
ceived into  Ministerium  at  Easton, 
87;  147;  first  committee,  87;  first 
address,  88;  first  lecture,  Savon- 
arola, 251 ;  St.  Johannis  corner- 
stone laid,  98. 

1866.  Zion's  centennial,  95; 
History  of  congregation,  96,  and 
note;  plans  for  dividing  the  old 
congregation,  96,  97;  consecration 
of  St  Stephen's,  151 ;  lower  rooms 
of  St.  Johannis  consecrated ;  A.  S. 
chosen  pastor,  98;  working  on 
Constitution  for  congregation,  99. 

1867.  Call  to  St.  Johannis,  99; 
Zion's  reluctant  to  let  him  go,  99, 
100;  removal  to  Fifteenth  Street, 
101;  trip  to  Reading,  Atlantic 
City,  Allentown,  102;  installation, 
Oct.  10th,  101 ;  enthusiasm  for  S. 
S.  work,  102;  Reformation  jubilee, 
103;  German  Seer.  Board  of 
Phila.    Missions,    148. 

1868.  Editor  Sonntagschul- 
lehrer,  91,  note;  248;  lecture:  the 
Waldenses,  85;  251;  St.  Johannis 
consecrated,  May  10th,  106;  birth 
of  first  child,  116;  delegate  to  G. 
C. ;  German  Secretary  (until 
1872),  157. 

1869.  Reply  to  Theses  of  Emil 
Riecke,  108;  activity  in  Synod, 
148;  trouble  in  parish  school,  107; 
108;  Mr.  Schnabel  called,  109. 

1870.  Birth  of  second  son,  116; 
Secretary  of  Kirchenb.  Commit- 
tee,  169. 

1871.  Appendix  to  Buechner's 
Concordance,  252;  lecture;  Ernst 
Moritz  Arndt,  293;  first  trip  to 
Europe,  116;  289;  Director  of 
Seminary,  148;  first  article  in 
Lutheran,  254. 

1872.  Nominated  as  New  York 
Professor  in  Seminary,  131 ; 
Trustee  of  Orphans'  Home  (until 
1890),  156;  birth  of  first  daugh- 
ter, 117. 

1873.  Lutherverein  founded, 
114;  removal  to  Girard  Ave.,  117; 
elected  N.  Y.  Professor;  installed, 
131 ;  Chairman  Sontagschulb. 
Comm.   (until  1877),  161;  172. 

1874.  Birth  of  third  son,  117; 
work   in    Seminary,    134,    135. 


1875.  Lectures  introducing  S. 
Schulb.,  112;  173;  251;  title  D.  D. 
from  University  of  Penna.,  131 ; 
280;  birth  of  fourth  son,  117. 

1876.  Cottage  in  Sea  Grove 
built,  118;  362;  death  of  little 
Adolph,  118;  Chairman  of  For- 
eign Miss.  Exec.  Comm.  (until 
1891),    161,    note. 

1877.  Editor  of  Jugendfreund 
(until  1889),  248;  birth  of  fifth 
son,  117;  Trustee  of  Muhlenberg 
College,  148 ;  Kirchenb.  published ; 
used  in  St.  Johannis  with  Wollen- 
weber  until   1881,   112. 

1878.  Courses  of  lectures,  119; 
co-editor  Missionsbote ;  collabor- 
ator on  Choralbuch,  174;  death  of 
wife,  120;  357;  367;  edited 
Brobst's  Kalender  (until  1880), 
413. 

1879.  Memoir  of  M.  D.  S. 
printed ;  second  trip  abroad ;  col- 
lision at  sea,  121 ;  Essay  at  second 
Free  Luth.  Diet,  414;  visits  Lord 
Lome  in  Ottawa,  121. 

1880.  Address  at  ter-centenary 
of  Book  of  Concord,  151 ;  first 
English  address  in  an  English 
church,  255,  note;  second  mar- 
riage, Oct.  12th,  122;  President 
of  G.  C.  (until  1888),  157;  Trustee 
of  G.  C,  161 ;  elected  on  Board 
of    Ger.    Hospital,   206. 

1881.  Member  English  Ch. 
Book  Comm.,  148;  Tempelsekt 
articles,  260,  261 ;  birth  of  sixth 
son,   123. 

1882.  Death  of  youngest  child, 
123;  N.  Y.  Music  Festival,  350; 
Amerikanische  Beleuchtung,  188; 
Church  Review  articles  begun, 
255,  and  note;  417. 

'1883.  Death  of  Dr.  Krauth, 
123,  124 ;  Biography  begun  ;  death 
of  Martin ;  birth  of  second  daugh- 
ter, 124;  Krauth  library  presented 
to  Seminary,  377;  Luther  Jubilee, 
231. 

1884.  Arrival  of  first  Deacon- 
esses, 209;  Monroe  sermon,  G.  C, 
159;  attacked  by  G.  Synod  men, 
160. 

1885.  Lecture:  Phebe  the 
Deaconess,    220,    note;    birth    of 


INDEX 


437 


seventh  son,  124;  Naturalization 
papers,  280;  Choral  Vesper,  G. 
C,  229,  ff. ;  181  and  note;  visits 
Gettysburg,  344. 

1886.  Bibelklasse  begun,  114; 
tour  of  the  Deaconess  Houses, 
211,  212,  ff. ;  preached  in  Stutt- 
gart; interest  in  German  politics, 
301 ;  speech  in  Plochingen,  302 ; 
303,  note;  address  at  corner-stone 
laying  of  Philadelphia  Mother- 
house,  219;  birth  of  eighth  son, 
124. 

1887.  Associate  Editor  of 
Church  Review,  417;  Liederlust, 
247;  delegate  to  Allg.  Konferenz, 
Hamburg,  161 ;  197 ;  303 ;  visits 
Kropp,  106;  303;  Schleswig,  11; 
303;  address  in  Hamburg,  198; 
306;  attack  by  Kropper  Kirch!. 
Anzeiger,  198;  Charter  member 
of  Deaconess  Board,  210,  note. 

1888.  Memorial  address,  Kaiser 
Wilhelm  I.,  83;  290;  greeting  from 
Bismarck,  291 ;  address  on  Mis- 
sions, in  Rock  Island,  177;  frac- 
tured left  arm,  221,  note. 

1889.  Birth  of  ninth  son,  124; 
address  at  dedication  of  Semin- 
ary,  Mt.  Airy,  278. 

1890.  Teaching  in  Deaconess 
school  (until  1899),  223;  associate 
editor  of  Messenger,  419;  delegate 
to  Chautauqua,  223,  ff . ;  Krauth 
Biography    I.    finished,    259. 

1891.  Death  of  little  Alan,  124; 
Lectures  on  John,  257;  Pres. 
Foreign  Miss.  Board,  161  ;  broken 
health,  125;  307,  364;  Capri,  307, 
ff. ;  rapid  recovery,  310;  Christ- 
mas in  Naples,  312;  Vesuvius,  313. 

1892.  Services  in  Capri,  316; 
Rome,  319;  Florence,  320;  Pres. 
of  Synod,  125;  offered  chaplaincy 
in  U.  of  Penna.,  125;  280;  death 
of  Dr.  Mann;  increased  burden; 
a  cruel  winter,  125. 

1893.  Memorial  of  Dr.  Mann, 
125;  256,  and  note;  Mr.  Eisen- 
hardt  assistant  pastor,  126;  25th 
Anniversary  of  St.  Johannis; 
chancel  remodeled,  115;  126; 
History  of  St.  Johannis,  98,  note; 
126:  Saatkoerner,  126;  255;  or- 
dained second  son,  149 ;  visited  by 


Bishop  von  Scheele,  150;  178; 
Rock  Island  Jubilee,  149,  150; 
Chicago  Exposition,  249;  Sunday 
Rest,  250;  resigned  in  St.  Johan- 
nis ;  continued  as  first  Pastor ; 
removed  to  Mt.  Airy,  126 ;  new 
activity  in  Seminary;  Luther 
Abend;  German  Vesper,  140,  141. 

1894.  Elected  Professor  of  Pa. 
Synod ;  resigns  N.  Y.  professor- 
ship, 140;  Festrede,  Deutscher 
Tag,  293;  visits  Charleston  and 
Savannah,  346,  ff. 

1895.  "A  very  busy  man,"  256; 
Dr.  W.  J.  Mann.,  Erinnerungs- 
blaetter,  255,  256;  address  on 
Bismarck's  80th  birthday,  292; 
removal  to  Brierbourne,  126;  364, 
365;  Chairman  Central  Jubilee 
Comm.,  152. 

1896.  Address  at  25th  anniver- 
sary of  proclamation  of  Kaiser  at 
Versailles,  292;  Annotations  on 
John,  255 ;  attack  of  neuritis,  372 ; 
Luther  Memorial ;  A.  S.  Chairman 
of  Gen.  Committee,  237 ;  transl. 
Jehovah,  Thee  to  praise,  238; 
German  address,  238,  ff. ;  chair- 
man of  Comm.  on  Documentary 
History  of  Ministerium,  153;  ad- 
dress: Opening  of  Bechstein 
Library,  292;  quoted,  271;  272; 
273,  note;  made  LL.D.  by  Muh- 
lenberg College,  131,  note;  Gen. 
Conf.  of  Luth.  Deaconess  Houses 
in  America ;  A.  S.  chairman  (until 
1910),  225. 

1897.  "Heilige  Passion  in  sieben 
liturgischen  Andachten,"  113; 
258;  sixth  trip  abroad,  Switzer- 
land, 320;  30th  anniversary  of 
installation,  141 ;  Gospel  Thoughts 
begun  in  Lutheran,  415. 

1898.  Lecture :  Fifty  years 
ago,  293;  Krauth  Biography  I. 
published,  255;  259;  150th  anni- 
versary of  Synod,  held  in  St.  Jo- 
hannis;  sermon  of  A.  S.,  152; 
Doc.  History  of  Ministerium  (I.) 
published;  A-  S.  co-editor  (with 
Drs.  Jacobs  and  Spieker),  153; 
first  Convocation  of  Church  Mu- 
sicians, A.  S.  chairman,  243;  25th 
anniversary  as  Professor;  Dr. 
Jacobs'   address   in    full,    142,    ff. ; 


438 


INDEX 


address    at    Bismarck    Memorial 
(D.  Tag),  292. 

1899.  First  serious  attack  of 
Grippe,  372;  350  articles  for 
Luth.   Cyclopedia,  253. 

1900.  President  of  Phila.  Ger- 
man Conf.  (until  1903),  154  5 
Kirchenbote  begun,  420;  lecture; 
Boer  and  Briton,  293,  and  note; 
address:  Der  deutsche  Paedagoge, 
quoted,  274,  and  note;  275;  279; 
Festrede,  D.  Tag,  quoted,  272,  ff. ; 
Leipzig  Quartette,  240,  ff. ;  intro- 
duced to  President  McKinley, 
242;  287. 

1901.  Lecture:  The  Four- 
leaved  Clover,  292;  articles  in 
Herzog-Hauck  Encyclopedia,  253; 
lecture :  Bismarck  as  a  Christian, 
293,  and  note;  321 ;  seventh  trip 
abroad ;  his  "most  delightful  voy- 
age," 321;  Festrede,  D.  Tag,  276; 
277 ;  Conv.  Ch.  Musicians,  Buf- 
falo; interest  in  old  form  of  ser- 
vice, 244;  attack  of  inflammatory 
rheumatism,  373;  40th  anniver- 
sary of  ordination,  145,  ff. ;  tribute 
to  "McKinley,  287. 

1902.  Mother's  death,  6;  Me- 
morial address,  6,  ff. 

1903.  Lecture:  The  Better 
Halves  of  the  Four-leaved  Clover, 
292;  Bach  Festival,  350. 

1904.  Discussion  with  Dr.  Lea, 
Luther  and  heretics,  261 ;  delegate 
to  Allg.  Konferenz  in  Rostock, 
161 ;  member  of  Engeren  Konf. ; 
paper  read,  162;  last  meeting  with 
Bishop  von  Scheele,  180;  invited 
to  represent  American  Church  at 
Speyer  celebration,  327;  preached 
in  Frauenkirche,  329;  Gmunden, 
328;  birth  of  first  grandchild,  367. 

1905.  Invited  to  dedication  of 
Dom-Kirche  in  Berlin,  331 ;  lec- 
ture: Emperor  and  Chancellor, 
292 ;  Schiller  festival,  351 ;  gift 
to  Wagnir  College,  140,  note; 
Festrede,  D.  Tag,  Schiller's  Ger- 
many, 292;  351;  first  gift  for 
Krauth  Memorial  Library,  379. 

1906.  Charleston  ;  the  German 
Friendly  Society,  348;  inspecting 
libraries,  379 ;  plans  for  Krauth 
Memorial,  379,  and  note;  delight 


of  A.  S.  in  building,  380;  Erinne- 
rungen,  72;  249;  editor  of  Kir- 
chenbote (until  1908),  249;  cor- 
ner-stone of  Library  laid,  380. 

1907.  President  Phila.  German 
Conf.  (until  1908),  154;  honorary 
member  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  281 ; 
ninth  trip  abroad  on  the  steamer 
Rhein,  332;  337;  the  Fourth  at 
sea,  333 ;  Ebensee,  334 ;  last  meet- 
ing with  the  Leipziger,  335,  336; 
daughter's  marriage,  337 ;  40th 
anniversary  of  St.  Johannis  cele- 
brated, 116;  374;  the  windows, 
374;  motion  of  A.  S.  for  German 
Conference  in  G.  C,  381  ;  Charles- 
ton, 350;  visit  of  Prof.  Pfleiderer ; 
India  Mission,  376;  severe  attack 
of  Grippe;  baptism  of  first  grand- 
son, 373. 

1908.  Dedication  of  Krauth 
Memorial  Libr.,  380;  Convoca- 
tion of  Church  Musicians  at  Al- 
lentown ;  A.  S.  presided  for  the 
last  time,  245 ;  opening  sermon  at 
German  Conf.  in  Rochester,  383; 
installation  of  Pastor  Meyer,  375 ; 
Festrede,  D.  Tag  in  Founder's 
Week,  quoted,  267;  275;  200;  the 
Roosevelt  affair,  262,  ff. ;  Theses 
on  Church  and  State,  263,  264. 

1909.  Krauth  Biogr.  II.  com- 
pleted (March),  385;  centennial 
of  father's  birth,  387;  alarming 
symptoms,  386;  Dr.  Deaver's 
diagnosis,  387 ;  tenth  trip  abroad, 
337;  Hamburg,  338;  Montreux ; 
Zermatt;  drive  to  Lauterbrunnen, 
339;  the  Giessbach,  340;  Tue- 
bingen,  341  ;  Vienna ;  Blaubeuren, 
342;  silver  jubilee  of  Mother- 
house,  388,  389;  report  to  G.  C. 
concerning  German  Conf.  in 
Rochester,  382;  A.  S.  represents 
Sem.  on  permanent  Kropp  Com- 
mission, 384;  seventieth  birthday, 
387;  388;  Krauth  Biogr.  II.  pub- 
lished (December),  386. 

1910.  Interest  in  Hans  Al- 
brecht's  Record,  389;  394!  Der 
Deutsche  Lutheraner,  422;  lec- 
ture :  Lincoln  and  Bismarck,  281 ; 
395 ;  annotated  Engl,  edition  of 
Luther  proposed,  374:  increasing 
weakness,   374;    395!    last   sermon 


INDEX 


439 


in  St.  Johannis,  399;  the  ordina- 
tion sermon,  395 ;  77 ;  message  to 
Rock  Island;  to  the  Iowa  Synod, 
396;  home  again,  396;  the  end, 
307.  Funeral  service,  398;  Me- 
morial service,  399,  ff. ;  Resolu- 
tions and  tributes,  405,  ff. 

Spieker ;  Rev.  G.  F.,  co-editor 
Doc.  Hist,  of  Ministerium,  153. 

Staake;  Wm.  H.,  Pres.  Social 
Union ;  presided  at  Luther  Me- 
morial, 238;  address  at  Memorial 
service,  A.  S.,  404. 

Steinmann ;  Sister  Magdalene, 
in  Lutherfestspiel,  235;  fourth 
Oberin,    Phila.    Motherhouse,  226. 

St.  Johannis  ;  schools  begun,  97  ; 
corner-stone  laid;  lower  rooms 
consecrated;  A.  S.  chosen  pastor, 
98;  call  accepted,  99;  building 
consecrated,  May  10,  1868,  106; 
bells  and  organ;  trouble  in  parish 
school,  107;  Mr.  Schnabel  called, 
109;  the  S.  school,  no;  the  tenth 
of  May;  festival  programs,  in; 
the  "old  choir,"  113,  and  note; 
141  ;  228 ;  Lutherverein  ;  Frauen- 
verein ;  Bibelklasse,  114;  Jubilee 
of  1893,  115;  Saatkoerner,  q.  v.; 
History  of  congregation,  98,  note: 
126;  150th  Anniversary  of  Synod, 
152 ;  Leipzig  Quartette,  241  ;  40th 
Anniversary,  374;  mem.  windows, 
116;  374,  375- 

Straub;   Dr.,  quoted,  23. 

Tempelsekt,  260,  261. 

T.  E.  S.— Rev.  T.  E.  Schmauk. 

Thompson;  Rev.  Robert  Ellis, 
address  to  German  Society : 
"German-Irish,"  294;  at  dedica- 
tion of  Krauth  Mem.  Library. 
380.  381. 

Tuebingen  School,  37,  and  note. 

Stift,  29,  ff. ;  the  Koenigs- 

gesellschaft  (Roigel),  33,  34; 
Liedertafel,  35 ;  121  ;  orchestra, 
36;  teachers  of  A.  S.,  36;  143; 
his  fellow  students,  143 ;  visit  to 
Tuebingen  (1909),  341. 

Ulrich,  Duke  of  Wuerttem- 
berg;  original  idea  of  Stift,  29, 
30. 


University  of  Pennsylvania; 
first  Provost  and  German  immi- 
gration, 268;  relation  of  A.  S.  to; 
the  Kaiser  made  LL.D.,  280;  Phi 
Beta  Kappa,  281. 

Venice;  a  winter  in,  44,  ff. ; 
Isola  san  Lazaro,  48,  49;  church 
of  the  Jesuits,  49,  ff. ;  Venice  to 
Mientone,  52,  53;  Letters  from 
Venice,  53,  note. 

Vogelbach ;  Rev.  J.  T.,  installed 
A.  S.  in  Zion's,  77;  preached  in 
St.  Johannis,  106. 

Volz;   Rev.   Christian,   13,  note. 

Wagner  College;  founded,  190; 
gift  of  A.  S.  to,  140,  note. 

Wagner;  Pastor  Emil,  letters 
from:  65,  note;  376;  letters  to: 
141;  161,  note;  284-286;  373;  377; 
385 ;  386 ;  388. 

Waiblingen;  A.  S.,  ordained  in 
39. 

Walther;  Dr.  W.,  of  Rostock; 
aid  in  identifying  Hans  Albrecht, 
392;  interest  in  his  Record,  393. 

Watson;  Dr.  John  (Ian  Mac- 
laren),  pleasure  of  A.  S.  in  meet- 
ing,  370. 

Weiskotten;  Rev.  F.  W.,  first 
Vesper  Service  in  Bethlehem, 
1876,  170;  on  S.  Schulb.  Coram, 
172;  a  founder  of  German  Pas- 
toral   Conf.,    155. 

Weissaecker;  Julius,  Repetent 
in  Blaubeuren,  23. 

Welden;  Rev.  C.  F.,  on  first 
Engl.  Liturgical  Comm.,  168,  note. 

Wilson;    Woodrow,   350. 

Wischan;  Rev.  F.,  member  of 
Comm.  proposing  to  drop  "Ger- 
man" from  name  of  Min.,  154; 
nominated  by  A.  S.  for  Hosp. 
Board,  208;  corresponding  with 
Leipzig  Quartette,  240. 

Wittenberg;  meeting  Dr.  Tif- 
fany.   324. 

W.  K.  F.— Rev.  W.  K.  Frick. 

Zion's  ;  St.  Michael's  and,  A.  S. 
called  to,  69;  74;  installed,  77;  im- 
pressive liturgical  service,  166; 
centennial  of  congregation,  95 ; 
division  of  congregation,  96;   08. 


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